John G. Trump

John George Trump (August 21, 1907 – February 21, 1985) was an American electrical engineer and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He pioneered the use of high-voltage generators in cancer treatment, directed American radar operations in Europe during World War II, and was founding chairman of High Voltage Engineering Corporation, a leading manufacturer of particle accelerators. He was the paternal uncle of President Donald Trump.

Trump earned his PhD in 1933 as Robert Van de Graaff's first student, working on the insulation of electrostatic generators. He joined MIT's faculty in 1935 and first applied these generators to cancer radiotherapy, designing compact X-ray machines for hospitals. Trump directed the High Voltage Research Laboratory, which developed new radiotherapy techniques, oversaw treatment of 10,000 patients, and taught hundreds of radiologists. His lab broadly explored the generation and use of electrostatic power in medical sterilization, spacecraft propulsion, wastewater disinfection, and power transmission.

In October 1940, Trump joined Vannevar Bush's new National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) as a technical aide and helped establish the Radiation Laboratory at MIT, the primary center for American radar development during World War II. He served on the lab's steering committee and as secretary of the NDRC Radar Division, one of the war's largest R&D programs. From February 1944 until the capture of Berlin, he directed the Rad Lab's field operation in Europe, where he organized radar deployments for the D-Day invasion, aided interception of V-1 rockets, and advised American commanders on radar use in combat. He received service commendations from President Truman and King George VI.

In 1946, Trump organized the High Voltage Engineering Corporation (HVEC) with Van de Graaff and Denis Robinson to build compact Van de Graaff accelerators for cancer therapy. HVEC was one of the first two startups backed by the American Research & Development Corporation, the first modern venture capital firm. As founding chairman, Trump oversaw the company's growth and listing on the New York Stock Exchange. As government funding for nuclear physics expanded, HVEC became the major global supplier of research particle accelerators. After stepping down in 1970, Trump offered technical advice as the company diversified into industrial products.

After retiring from the MIT faculty, Trump oversaw the installation of Van de Graaff's original high-voltage generator at the Boston Museum of Science, where he was a museum trustee. He also served as board chairman of the Lahey Clinic, a Boston area cancer hospital. President Reagan awarded Trump the National Medal of Science in 1983 for the "beneficial application of ionizing radiation to medicine, industry and atomic physics."