Nuclear Museum Logo
Nuclear Museum Logo

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Verna Hobson (1923-2004) was an American secretary.

After moving to Princeton, NJ with her husband Wilder, Verna Hobson soon became a secretary for J. Robert Oppenheimer at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. Her tenure as his secretary coincided with Oppenheimer’s investigation by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC.) 

During this period she became close with the Oppenheimer family, most notable with Oppenheimer’s son Peter, to whom Hobson was a “surrogate mother.”

Verna Hobson’s Timeline
1923 Born.

19541956 Worked as J. Robert Oppenheimer’s secretary at the Institute for Advanced Study.

2004 Apr 13th Died in New Rochelle, NY.

Related Profiles

Stewart Fox

Chicago, IL

Stewart Fox was a laboratory helper at the University of Chicago’s Metallurgical Laboratory (“Met Lab”) during the Manhattan Project.

Keith Williams

Oak Ridge, TN

Keith Williams worked for the Keith Williams Company.

M. A. Obermeyer

Oak Ridge, TN

M. A. Obermeyer worked for the J.A. Jones Construction Company.

John Moriarity

Chicago, IL

John Moriarity was a procurement officer at the University of Chicago’s Metallurgical Laboratory (“Met Lab”) during the Manhattan Project.