Willard Frank Libby was born in Grand Valley, Colorado, on December 17, 1908 to Ora Edward Libby and his wife Eva May. He attended grammar and high schools near Sebastopol, California, between 1913 and 1926, moving to the University of California at Berkeley in 1927, where he studied till 1933, taking his B. Sc. and Ph. D. degrees in 1931 and 1933 respectively.
Libby has performed a wide range of scientific advisory and technical consultant work with industrial firms associated with the Institute for Nuclear Studies, as well as with defense departments, scientific organizations and universities.
Libby is a physical chemist and a specialist in radiochemistry particularly hot atom chemistry, tracer techniques, and isotope tracer work. He became well-known at Chicago University for his work on natural carbon-14 and its use in dating archaeological artifacts, and natural tritium, and its use in hydrology and geophysics.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize In chemistry 1960 "for his method to use carbon-14 for age determination in archaeology, geology and geophysics, and other branches of science.
He is married to former Leonor Hickey of King City, California. They have twin daughters Janet and Susan (b. 1945).
Willard Frank Libby died in 1980.
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