Elmer Peter Kohler

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Elmer Peter Kohler
Born(1865-11-06)November 6, 1865
Egypt, Pennsylvania
DiedMay 24, 1938(1938-05-24) (aged 72)
Scientific career
FieldsOrganic chemistry, synthetic chemistry
InstitutionsBryn Mawr University, Harvard University
Doctoral advisorIra Remsen
Doctoral studentsJames B. Conant
Lee Irvin Smith
Robert Percy Barnes

Elmer Peter Kohler (November 6, 1865 - May 24, 1938) was an American organic chemist who spent his career on the faculty at Bryn Mawr College and later at Harvard University. At both institutions, he was notable for his effectiveness in teaching.[1][2][3]

Early life and education[edit]

Kohler was born in Egypt, Pennsylvania to a family of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage.[1][2] He attended Muhlenberg College and graduated in 1868, but took only one chemistry course while there.[4] After graduating, he took a job as a passenger agent with the Santa Fe Railroad. Eventually, he returned to his education and received a master's degree from Muhlenberg in 1889 before beginning at Johns Hopkins as a student of Ira Remsen. He received his Ph.D. in 1892.[2]

Academic career[edit]

After completing his Ph.D., Kohler was appointed as an instructor at Bryn Mawr College. He became a professor there in 1900 and later became head of the chemistry department. In 1912, he moved to Harvard University, becoming the Abbott and James Lawrence Professor two years later and the Sheldon Emery Professor in 1934.[2] At both institutions, he was recognized as an excellent teacher and lecturer. He notably avoided other public speaking events, such as scientific meetings and talks, which those who knew him attributed to shyness.[1][2][5] Throughout his career, Kohler was noted as a skilled experimentalist, continuing to work in the laboratory himself till very shortly before his death.[1][2][5] He was particularly noted for skill in fractional crystallization and for investigations of the synthesis and properties of various unsaturated compounds of interest.[1] Among his earliest graduate students at Harvard was James B. Conant, who later became president of the university.[2]

Kohler was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1920[1] and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 1926.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Conant, James B. (1952). "Elmer Peter Kohler, 1865-1938: A Biographical Memoir" (PDF). National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoirs. National Academy of Sciences.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Fieser, Louis F. (1940). "Elmer Peter Kohler (1865-1938)". Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 74 (6): 130–141. JSTOR 20023375.
  3. ^ "ELMER P. KOHLER, HARVARD TEACHER; Seldon Emory Professor of Organic Chemistry Dies at Age of 71 Years PUBLISHED MANY PAPERS An Alumnus of Muhlenberg, He Finished Graduate Study at Johns Hopkins". The New York Times. May 25, 1938. p. 23.
  4. ^ Tarbell, D. Stanley (February 2000). "Kohler, Elmer Peter (06 November 1865–24 May 1938)". American National Biography. Vol. 1. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1300935.
  5. ^ a b "Elmer Peter Kohler". The Harvard Crimson. 26 May 1938. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Elmer Peter Kohler". Leopoldina. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
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