Gustavus John Esselen
Gustavus John Esselen (born June 30, 1888 in Roxbury (Massachusetts) , † October 22, 1952 ) was an American industrial chemist.
He graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1909 magna cum laude and received his doctorate there in 1912. He was then a research chemist at General Electric in Lynn until 1921 and then at Arthur D. Little Inc. in Cambridge (Massachusetts) . In 1930 he founded his own company, Gustavus J. Esselen Inc. (later Esselen Research Corporation and then the Esselen Research Division of the United States Testing Co. Inc.). He conducted research there on behalf of the industry and held over 40 US patents.
At Arthur D. Little, he developed a handbag made from artificial silk made from collagen from pig's ears (thus refuting the English saying You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear ). He later developed, among other things, anhydrides for curing epoxy resins and safety glass with polyvinyl butyral , which had considerable commercial success.
1922/23 he was chairman of the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society and was on their national council. He chaired the ACS in Boston in 1928 and 1939. He was an honorary member of the American Institute of Chemists . From 1919 to 1951 he was the US section of the Society of Chemical Industry . He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .
The Northwestern Section of the American Chemical Society presents the Gustavus John Esselen Award for Advances in Chemistry of Public Interest. It has been awarded annually since 1987 and is endowed with $ 5,000.
In 1912 he married Henrietta W. Locke, with whom he had three children.
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Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Esselen, Gustavus John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American chemist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 30, 1888 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Roxbury, Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 22, 1952 |