Wallace H. Coulter American electrical engineer, inventor and businessman Date of Birth: 17.01.1913 Country: USA

1. Biography of Wallace Coulter
2. The Coulter Principle
3. Coulter Electronics and Beckman Coulter
4. Wallace H. Coulter Foundation

Biography of Wallace Coulter

Wallace Coulter was an American electrical engineer, inventor, and businessman. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on February 17, 1913. Coulter studied at a school in McGehee, Arkansas, before attending Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. He furthered his education by studying electrical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The Coulter Principle

Wallace Coulter gained the most recognition for his patented invention, the Coulter Principle. This principle involves a method for calculating and determining microscopic particles suspended in liquid. The invention of the Coulter counter allowed for the most common medical test today, the complete blood count (CBC). The Coulter Principle is also used for quality control in consumer goods such as chocolate, beer, paint, and toners. It is even applied in the analysis of lunar dust.

Coulter Electronics and Beckman Coulter

In 1953, Coulter and his brother Joseph R. Coulter began manufacturing innovative particle analyzers known as Coulter counters after acquiring a patent in the United States for the Coulter Principle. The number of orders consistently increased, leading the brothers to register their business as "Coulter Electronics" in 1958. In 1961, they relocated their production to Hialeah, Florida. Over time, Coulter Electronics became a leading company in the diagnostics industry.

In October 1997, Coulter's company was acquired by Beckman Instruments, and it is now known as Beckman Coulter. As of 2009, the Coulter enterprise remained one of the largest employers in Miami-Dade County, with a staff of 1,800 employees.

Wallace H. Coulter Foundation

Wallace Coulter founded the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, an organization based in Miami, Florida. The foundation focuses on improving the quality of medical services through the implementation of the latest medical research and technology. In 2006, the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation ranked fifth among Florida's largest funds, with $430 million in assets. It also ranked sixth among grant-making organizations.

The Science and Mathematics Building at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, was named the Coulter Science Center in honor of Wallace Coulter's contributions. Additionally, the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering at Clarkson University was named after him in recognition of his role as a trustee and his work through the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University were also named in his honor.