Richard Hall Wiswall, [ii] ^

1916 - 2004  (88 years)

• Name	Richard Hall Wiswall  [1, 2]
  Suffix	[ii] ^
  Birth	7 May 1916  [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Death	9 Oct 2004	Brookhaven, , New York   [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Person ID	I17008	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	17 Sep 2023

  
  

  Father	Richard Hall Wiswall, [i] >,   b. 8 Jan 1886, Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States d. 12 Mar 1955, Salem (Age 69 years)
  Mother	Katheryn Coggin, >,   b. 3 Apr 1889, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States d. Abt 1968 (Age 78 years)
  Marriage	29 Dec 1913	Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
  Family ID	F7196	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Ann Reed Swartz, ^,   b. 1922, Canandaigua, Ontario, NY d. 17 Dec 2014, Brookhaven, Brookhaven, Suffolk, NY (Age 92 years)
  Marriage	30 Nov 1946	Syracuse, Onondaga, New York, United States
  Children	1. Stephen Coggin Wiswall, ^,   b. 3 Sep 1947   d. 5 Sep 1997 (Age 50 years)   2. Thomas Swartz Wiswall, ^   3. John David Wiswall, ^   4. Richard Hall Wiswall, Jr. [iii] ^   5. Benjamin Reed Wiswall, ^,   b. 26 Sep 1961, Brookhaven, Suffolk, NY d. 6 Jun 2012, Simi Valley, Ventura, CA (Age 50 years)
  Family ID	F7189	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	19 May 2026

  
  

• Sources

  [S49] Ann Swartz Wiswall Obituary, 8 Jan 2015. [S728] Obituary; 20 October 2004. Dr. Richard H. Wiswall, Jr., 88, of Brookhaven, died on October 9. He graduated from Harvard and earned a master's and doctoral degree in chemistry from Princeton University. Dr. Wiswall enlisted in the Army during World War II and worked on the Manhattan Project. He continued his research career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory Department of Nuclear Engineering, retiring in 1979. Dr. Wiswall also pursued interests in photography, literature, theology and history and supported environmental and humanitarian causes. He is survived by his wife of 57 yeaqrs, Ann Swartz Wiswall; sons Thomas, John, Richard and Benjamin; children-in-law, Dorothy, Julia, Sally and Thomas; sister Hope Griffin and grandchildren, James, Karen, Celeste, Aaron, Peter, Kuenzi, Flint and Alexander. Dr. Wiswall was predeceased by his son Stephen in 1997. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Ruland Funeral Home, Patchogue. A memoial service will be held at Old South Haven Presbyterian Church, South Country and Beaver Dam roads, Brookhaven, on Saturday, October 16, at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Old South Haven Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 203, Brookhaven, NY 11719, or a charity selected by the donor, and would be appreciated by the family. [S112] . [S728] Bill Kaufman, Staff Writer; Richard H. Wiswall Jr; Manhattan Project scientist, distinguished scientist; https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.obituaries/04Ks4cw30dM. A scientist of the first order, Richard H. Wiswall Jr. enjoyed a lengthy career at Brookhaven National Laboratory and earlier shared a piece of history as part of the Manhattan Project team that developed the atomic bomb. Courtly and always gracious, he was a man whose knowledge and leadership was much appreciated by those who knew him. Wiswall was a nuclear engineering research chemist at the lab. "He was a gentleman and a scholar," said James Egan of Bellport, a retired former colleague at the laboratory who knew Wiswall for 30 years. "He was one of the best bosses we had in the department of applied science." Another retired former colleague there was James Reilly, also of Bellport. "He was a great scientist. A gentleman of the old school," said Reilly, who worked with him from 1966 until Wiswall retired in 1979 after 30 years at the laboratory. Wiswall died Oct. 9 at his home in Brookhaven hamlet of natural causes. He was 88. Born in Peabody, Mass., Wiswall was valedictorian of his high school class and went on to graduate from Harvard University and Princeton University where he earned master's and doctoral degrees in chemistry. During World War II, he enlisted in the Army and when his academic background was discovered Wiswall was assigned to work at Columbia University, one of many research facilities contracted by the government to work on the vast Manhattan Project. After his discharge, Wiswall married the former Ann Swartz in 1946 while working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. In 1949, Wiswall transferred to Brookhaven National Laboratory, and he and his wife moved to Mount Sinai. Eight years later, the family moved to Brookhaven hamlet. "He was so many things and so wonderful," explained his wife. She said that he favored working at Brookhaven over Oak Ridge because at the Long Island facility he was involved in developing hydrogen as an ecologically safe fuel instead of in the use of nuclear energy as a weapon. Wiswall was a supporter of environmental preservation and civil rights organizations. He belonged to American Civil Liberties Union. "He was very interested in helping the world be better," his wife said. Wiswall's wife recalled that her husband "was very knowledgeable in a wide range of subjects," adding that he was an avid reader. The couple shared a love of sailing and owned a small boat. "We would sail from Brookhaven and camp out on Fire Island," she said. Besides his wife, Wiswall is survived by four sons, Thomas of Buffalo, John of Southborough, Mass., Benjamin of Los Angeles, and Richard Wiswall III of East Montpelier, Vt.; a sister, Hope Griffin of Salem, Mass.; and eight grandchildren. A memorial service was held Saturday at Old South Haven Presbyterian Church. His remains were cremated. Donations may be sent to the church at P.O. Box 203, Brookhaven, N.Y. 11719.