On February 13, the nation lost another great American champion for science, Dr. Edward E. David, Jr., who died at the age of 92 at his home in Bedminster, New Jersey. He was the oldest living presidential science advisor. David, an electrical engineer with degrees from MIT and an early career at Bell Labs, served in the Nixon administration as science advisor to the president in early 1970s and, later in his career, was president of Exxon Research and Engineering Company from 1977 to 1986.
Edward David was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1925. He received a B.S. in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1945. And after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he continued his studies at MIT and earned an M.S. and Sc.D. from MIT in 1947 and 1950, respectively. He worked at Bell Labs from 1950 to 1970, carrying out research on acoustics and communications and serving as executive director of communications system research before being tapped by Nixon to be his science advisor. After his time in the White House, David returned to the private sector, serving in executive positions and on corporate boards. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and received many other honors and awards.
While I did not know Ed David well, we shared some common interests. Throughout his life, David was a collector of fine minerals — many of the spectacular specimens in the Houston Museum of Natural Science came from his collection. I have always been interested in geology and mineralogy, and he always gave me good advice.
David was an unusual choice for science advisor. Most of his predecessors were academic scientists well known to the academic community. David was an engineer and came from industry. His predecessor, Lee DuBridge, was a physicist and former president of Caltech. In contrast to DuBridge, David was not perceived by Nixon’s staff as a representative of the academic science community. David was an advocate for federal research funding but he felt, based on his years at Bell Labs and Exxon Research, that research is likely to have greater impact if it is motivated by a broader purpose. He once wrote, “By bringing purposes and priorities into the picture, the efficiency and effectiveness of research and development can be increased and perhaps assured.” But he clearly valued academic research, particularly that which focused on discovering the workings of nature. When David accepted the job, he told Nixon and several of his senior staff that he did so “on the condition that it was administration policy to further science and technology in the national interest, including basic research in the universities.”
Most of what a president’s science advisor does while in the White House stays out of the public eye; this is expected of all confidential advisors to the president. But among the things that David did in addition to advocating for increases in federal R&D funding were apparent:
- He advised Nixon to go ahead with the Apollo 16 and 17 moon landings, since most of the science was likely to come from those missions.
- He helped draft policies on pollution control through the Clean Air Act.
- He encouraged federal investment in new nuclear power technologies.
- He favored more federal and state control over public utilities to develop new energy sources and conservation measures.
- He conveyed the scientific arguments against siting antiballistic missiles and continuing the government-industry partnership to develop supersonic transport (SST).
- He helped develop NASA post-Apollo planning and energy strategies in the wake of the Arab oil embargo.
- He initiated scientific exchange programs in Eastern Europe, including the U.S.S.RDavid often raised cost-benefit issues when new technologies or new regulations were being considered, which may help explain his later questioning the wisdom of policies to control carbon emissions to stave off global warming and climate change.
David often raised cost-benefit issues when new technologies or new regulations were being considered, which may help explain his later questioning the wisdom of policies to control carbon emissions to stave off global warming and climate change.
David served in the White House at a time of considerable national and political unrest. When he succeeded Lee DuBridge as Nixon’s science advisor in September 1970, a large segment of the science community was at odds with the administration over such matters as the unpopular Vietnam War, especially the invasion of Cambodia and bombing of Laos, as well as its nuclear weapons policy (e.g., the antiballistic missile), supersonic transport (SST) and other science-related issues. Several members of the president’s science advisory committee (PSAC), which David co-chaired, were strongly opposed to the administration’s policies on some of these issues, and that opposition became public. Nixon, who had been unhappy with the science community and PSAC well before David replaced DuBridge, disbanded PSAC (originally established by President Truman) and accepted David’s resignation as science advisor.
Following David’s resignation, Nixon abolished the Office of Science and Technology, moving some of the responsibilities to National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Guy Stever, who then had two jobs. After Nixon resigned, Congress passed the National Science and Technology Policy Organization and Priorities Act of 1976, which President Ford signed into law, creating the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the president — which still exists today.
David understood that his job was to give his best objective advice to the president — even advice that the president didn’t want to hear. I had the privilege of serving as President Bill Clinton’s science advisor and, prior to that, his director of the NSF. I know how challenging the science advisor’s job can be, even when the president is a strong advocate for science. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to try to advise a president who dismisses the importance of science and has little appreciation for the scientists themselves. Ed David did his job, spoke truth to power, and when truth was no longer welcome by the president, he resigned.
Neal F. Lane, Ph.D., is the senior fellow in science and technology policy at the Baker Institute. He is also the Professor of Physics and Astronomy Emeritus at Rice University. Previously, Lane served in the federal government as assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from August 1998 to January 2001, and he served as director of the National Science Foundation and member (ex officio) of the National Science Board from October 1993 to August 1998. Before his post with NSF, Lane was provost and professor of physics at Rice, a position he had held since 1986.