Francis B. Foley facts for kids

Francis B. Foley (born July 7, 1887 – died February 1973) was an important American scientist. He was a metallurgist, which means he studied metals, especially how they are made and how they behave. He focused on ferrous metals, which are metals that contain iron.

Francis B. Foley's Life Story

Early Life and Education

Francis B. Foley was born in Philadelphia on July 7, 1887. His father, Dennis Foley, passed away when Francis was very young, in 1889. This left his mother with four children to care for.

Because his family needed help, Francis went to Girard College. This was a special boarding school that offered free education to boys who had lost their fathers. He finished high school there in 1904. After graduating, he worked for a year at a newspaper called the Philadelphia North American, helping with the art department.

Starting His Career in Metals

In 1907, after trying a few other jobs, Francis Foley started working at the Midvale Steel Company in Philadelphia. This was the same company where his father had worked many years before. His first job was as a clerk in the open hearth department, which is where steel is made.

Francis was very smart and quickly noticed by the head of the department, Radclyffe Furness. Mr. Furness was a chemist who had studied at Harvard University. He encouraged Francis to learn more about metallurgy (the science of metals) and crystallography (the study of how crystals are formed). Francis taught himself a lot about these subjects.

Around 1912, Francis became sick with tuberculosis. He spent two years recovering in New Mexico and Arizona until he was well again. In 1915, he married Anne Marie Flaherty, and they had a son, Gerard, the next year.

Working for the Government

In 1917, a professor from the University of Minnesota asked Radclyffe Furness to suggest someone to teach about metals. Mr. Furness recommended Francis Foley, and so Francis and his family moved to Minneapolis.

When the U.S. entered World War I, Francis wanted to join the Army, but he couldn't because of his past illness. Instead, he worked for the National Bureau of Standards and then the U.S. Bureau of Mines. He was part of the United States National Research Council. His job was to figure out how to make more ferro-manganese, which is a material needed for steel production. At that time, the U.S. imported a lot of it.

From 1918 to 1924, Francis led the iron and steel division for the Bureau of Mines. He worked in Minneapolis and later in Pittsburgh, before returning to Minneapolis.

Important Research and Discoveries

In 1921, Francis Foley had a special opportunity to work with Henry Marion Howe, a famous metallurgist, at his lab in Westchester County, New York. Together, they studied how steel becomes hard and how a special type of steel called martensite forms and changes. Their work was very important for understanding how to make strong steel.

When he returned to Minneapolis, Francis studied blast furnaces, which are used to make iron. He then oversaw an experiment station in Rolla, Missouri.

Later Career and Retirement

In 1924, Francis became a metallurgist for a company in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Then, in 1926, he went back to the Midvale Company. He was put in charge of starting and leading a brand new Research Department there.

Midvale was known for making high-quality steel parts for things like guns, armor, and train wheels. Francis helped the company create new types of steel that could resist corrosion (rust) and work well in very hot conditions.

In 1949, Midvale merged with another steel company. Francis felt that the new company wouldn't focus as much on new metal developments, so he left. He then joined the International Nickel Company (Inco). He directed their research lab in Bayonne, New Jersey, and later worked as a consulting metallurgist in their New York City offices until 1957.

After Inco, he worked for Pencoyd Steel and Forge Corp. as an executive metallurgical engineer. Francis B. Foley finally retired in 1964, at the age of 77.

Personal Life

Francis Foley's first wife, Anne, passed away in June 1936. In 1938, he married Katherine Campbell Fuller. They had a daughter named Frances Campbell in 1939.

Francis B. Foley died in Coral Gables, Florida, on February 28, 1973.