Penney, Lord (1909-1991), William George Penney, was responsible for designing and testing the first British atomic bomb. Near the end of World War II (1939-1945), Penney assisted in the development of the atomic bomb in the United States. He served as chairman of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority from 1964 until 1967, when he became rector of Imperial College of Science and Technology, London University. He received a life peerage in 1967.
Penney was born on June 24, 1909, in Gibraltar. He was educated at Imperial College. His early research was on the application of quantum theory to chemistry. His book Quantum Theory of Valency (1935) describes the architecture of molecules and the energies needed to promote reactions. Penney died on March 3, 1991.
