Nathan Mortimore Newmark was an American structural engineer and academic, who is widely considered as one of the founding fathers of Earthquake Engineering. He was awarded the National Medal of Science for engineering. Nathan M. Newmark was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, on September 22, 1910. He attended Rutgers University and as an undergraduate received many prizes, graduating with High Honors and Special Honors in Civil Engineering in 1930. He received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1932 and 1934. He received the National Medal Of science in 1968. He held a succession of positions in the department, becoming Research Professor of Civil Engineering (CE) in 1943. From 1947 to 1957 he also served as Chairman of the Digital Computer Laboratory of the University. In 1956 he was appointed head of the CE Department and held that position until 1973. He continued on the faculty as a Professor of Civil Engineering until 1976, at which time he retired with the rank of Professor Emeritus.