Samuel King Allison (1900–1965) was an American physicist and academic who played a pivotal role in the development of nuclear weapons during World War II and later advocated for their civilian regulation. An expert in the study of X-rays, Allison spent much of his career at the University of Chicago. During the war, his administrative and scientific expertise led to his appointment as the director of the Metallurgical Laboratory from 1943 to 1944. He subsequently moved to the Los Alamos Laboratory, where he joined the 'Cowpuncher Committee' to help steer the final stages of the Manhattan Project. Allison is famously remembered for reading the countdown during the Trinity nuclear test, the first detonation of a nuclear device. For his vital wartime service, he was awarded the Medal for Merit. Following the war, Allison returned to Chicago to direct the Institute for Nuclear Studies. He became deeply involved in the 'scientists' movement,' using his platform to lobby for civilian control of nuclear technology.
