Samuel Philip Sadtler, Ph.D., LL.D. (July 18, 1847 – December 20, 1923) was an American

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

, and the first president of the

American Institute of Chemical Engineers The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a professional organization for chemical engineers. AIChE was established in 1908 to distinguish chemical engineers as professionals independent of chemists and mechanical engineers. Curr ...

in 1908.

Life

Sadtler was born at

Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Pine Grove is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the borough population was 2,054. Pine Grove Area School District, serving students from three municipalities and multiple surrounding townships ...

, the son of a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

minister, and educated at Pennsylvania College (class of 1867), at

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

(one year), at

Lawrence Scientific School The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) is the engineering education, engineering school within Harvard University's Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, offering degrees in eng ...

(BSc 1870), and in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...

(PhD 1871). As well as his professional activities, he was active in the Lutheran church. His son, Samuel Schmucker Sadtler, also became a chemist. In 1901 they founded Samuel P. Sadtler & Son, a chemical consulting firm in Philadelphia. It was later managed by his grandson, also named Samuel Philip Sadtler. Sadtler died December 20, 1923, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Career

Sadtler was first a professor at Pennsylvania College (1871–74) and then the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

(1874–91). He then moved to the

Philadelphia College of Pharmacy Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he was professor of chemistry until 1916 when he retired (and Emeritus professor afterwards). He was author of: ''Hand-Book of Chemical Experimentation'' (1877); ''Industrial Organic Chemistry'' (1901; fourth edition, 1912); and ''Pharmaceutical Chemistry'' (1895; fourth edition, 1912), with Virgil Coblentz. In 1874, he was elected as a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. In 1907 to 1908 Sadtler was part of a discussion as to the formation of a society separate from the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

for the newly recognized profession of

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

. He was initially opposed to the proliferation of societies but said he would join a chemical engineering one if it was formed. On June 22, 1908, he welcomed interested people to a meeting at the Engineers Club, Philadelphia. The forty men present became Charter Members of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, electing Sadtler as the President, a post he held till the end of 1909. He made his Presidential address at the first Annual Meeting on December 28, 1908, and also established the ''Transactions of the AIChE'' in the same year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadtler, Samuel Philip People from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania 1847 births 1923 deaths American chemical engineers American chemists American non-fiction writers Pennsylvania State University alumni Pennsylvania State University faculty University of Pennsylvania faculty University of Göttingen alumni Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni Lehigh University alumni Engineers from Pennsylvania Chemists from Pennsylvania Members of the American Philosophical Society