Physicist John Trump was the younger brother of Mr Trump's father, Fred. John passed away in 1985 at the age of 78, according to an obituary in the New York Times. He was a professor of engineering at the elite Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 44 years. According to MIT, Prof Trump focused on high voltage phenomena, electron acceleration and the interaction of radiation with living and non-living matter. He also designed X-ray generators for cancer therapy. During World War Two, Prof Trump researched radars for the Allies. When legendary physicist Nikola Tesla died in 1943, Prof Trump was asked by the FBI to examine Tesla's papers and equipment. Prof Trump co-founded a company making generators for use in nuclear research, according to MIT archives.