Norman Holter

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Norman Jefferis "Jeff" Holter (February 1, 1914, Helena, Montana – 1983) was an American biophysicist who invented the Holter monitor, a portable device for continuously monitoring the electrical activity of the heart for 24 hours or more.

Holter graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1937. He then earned Master's degrees in chemistry and physics, and continued his education by completing postgraduate work at the University of Heidelberg (Germany), the University of Chicago, the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies, and the University of Oregon Medical School. During World War II, Holter served as senior physicist in the U.S. Navy, studying the characteristics of waves. In 1946, he headed a government research team involved in the atomic-bomb testing at Bikini Atoll. After the war, he continued work with the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and served as president of the Society of Nuclear Medicine from 1955-1956. In 1964, he became a full professor at the University of California in San Diego, coordinating activities at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics. In 1979, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) awarded Holter with the AAMI Foundation Laufman-Greatbatch Prize for his contributions to medical technology.

Holter was the son and grandson, respectively, of Montana pioneers Norman B. Holter and Anton M. Holter. Numerous landmarks in and around Helena, Montana bear his family's name.