Allen V. Astin

Allen V. Astin
5th Director of the National Bureau of Standards
In office 1951–1969
President	Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Edward Condon
Succeeded by	Lewis M. Branscomb
Personal details
Born	Allen Varley Astin (1904-06-12)June 12, 1904 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Died	January 28, 1984(1984-01-28) (aged 79) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Spouse	Margaret L. Mackenzie
Children	John Astin Alexander Astin
Relatives	Mackenzie Astin (grandson) Sean Astin (adoptive grandson)
Alma mater	University of Utah New York University
Scientific career
Fields	Physics
Institutions	National Bureau of Standards
Thesis	New method for measuring the dielectric constants of conducting liquids (1929)
Doctoral advisor	William A. Lynch

Allen Varley Astin (June 12, 1904 – January 28, 1984) was an American physicist who served as director of the United States National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) from 1951 until 1969. During the Second World War he worked on the proximity fuse. He was an advocate for introduction of metric weights and measures to the United States.^[1] He was an elected member to the American Philosophical Society,^[2] the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,^[3] and the National Academy of Sciences.^[4]