Nuclear Museum Logo
Nuclear Museum Logo

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

William S. Hartnett

Plutonium MetallurgyHanford, WA

Manhattan Project Veteran
The first large-scale nuclear reactor in history, the B-Reactor, in Hanford, Washington

Bill Hartnett worked in plutonium metallurgy for the Manhattan Project at the Hanford Engineer Works from January 1943 to December 1946. Despite his professional title, Hartnett would frequently refer to himself as a "glorified foundryman." Following the end of the Manhattan Project, Hartnett stayed at Hanford for another thirty years, leaving in April 1975. 

Related Profiles

John W. Healy

Hanford, WA

John William Healy (1920-2001) worked in the field of radiation safety at Hanford during the Manhattan Project and at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

H. J. Thome

Hanford, WA

George T. Ward

Tinian Island

George T. Ward served in the First Ordnance Squadron.

LeRoy Thornton

Y-12 Plant

LeRoy Thornton worked for the Tennessee Eastman Corporation at the Y-12 Plant.