Matthew Luckiesh

Born in Maquoketa, Iowa, on September 14, 1883, Matthew Luckiesh became an American physicist and a leading authority on light, color, and vision. He studied electrical engineering at Purdue University and continued his graduate work in Iowa before beginning his career with General Electric in 1910.

Much of his professional life was tied to General Electric's lighting research at Nela Park in the Cleveland area, where he later served as director of the Lighting Research Laboratory. During his career he became widely known as the "Father of the Science of Seeing," a nickname that reflects how strongly his work shaped the study of visibility, perception, and practical lighting.

Luckiesh was also a remarkably prolific writer. In addition to research papers and patents, he published many books on subjects such as artificial light, color, ultraviolet radiation, visual illusions, and the experience of seeing itself. He died in Shaker Heights, Ohio, on November 2, 1967.