Northrop, John

Northrop, John (Howard) (1891–1987) biochemist; born in Yonkers, N.Y. He spent most of his career pursuing viral and enzyme research at the Rockefeller Institute (later University) (1924–61), with time out to serve as professor of bacteriology at the University of California: Berkeley (1949–58). During the 1930s, he and his colleagues isolated the enzymes trypsin and chymotrypsin. In 1939 he was the first to isolate a bacterial virus, and in 1940 he crystallized diphtheria antitoxin. He shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry (1946).

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Northrop, John (Knudsen) (1895–1981) aircraft designer; born in Newark, N.J. He worked for both the Douglas and Lockheed corporations before forming Northrop Aircraft Inc., in 1939. His airplane designs included the Vega, the A-17 attack plane, and the P-61 night fighter. He retired in 1952 but continued to consult with Northrop.