Harry Linn Fisher (19 January 1885 – 19 March 1961) was the 69th national president of 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 ...

, and an authority on the chemistry of vulcanization. Fisher was the author of four popular books on the chemistry and technology of rubber, and the holder of 50 patents.

Personal

Fisher was born on Jan. 19, 1885, in

Kingston, New York Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, United States. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. The city's metropolitan area is grouped with the New York metropolitan area around Manhattan by the United ...

His father was the engineer, who in 1883, took the first locomotive from Kingston, N. Y., to

Weehawken, New Jersey Weehawken is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located largely on the Hudson Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 17,197.

, along the tracks of the old New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railroad. In 1910, he married Nellie Edna Andrews. They had a son and two daughters. Fisher was said to enjoy "color photography, singing and mountain climbing". Fisher died on 19 March 1961.

Education

After finishing High School, Fisher worked for three years before taking a year of refresher coursework at Dwight School in New York City. He went on to study at

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

in Williamstown, Mass. He majored in classics, but switched to chemistry in his junior year, obtaining his AB degree in 1909. Fisher then attended Columbia University on scholarship, earning his PhD degree in 1912 under

Marston Taylor Bogert Marston Taylor Bogert (April 18, 1868 – March 21, 1954) was an American chemist. Biography He was born in Flushing, New York on April 18, 1868 and studied at the Flushing Institute, which was a well known private school, where he was a strai ...

. His PhD dissertation focused on the preparation and properties of 5-aminoquinoline-6-carboxylic acid and related compounds.

Career

* 1912-1919 Instructor in

Organic Chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

* 1919-1926 B. F. Goodrich, Akron, Ohio * 1926-1936 Research Chemist at U. S. Rubber Company, New York and New Jersey * 1936-1950 Director of Organic Research at U. S. Industrial Chemicals * 1950 retired * 1951-1952 Administrative Assistant for the

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

, special assistant to the director of the

Office of Synthetic Rubber An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific d ...

* 1953 - Head, Department of Rubber Technology,

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

Recognitions

* Columbia University's

Chandler Medal Chandler or The Chandler may refer to: * Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles * Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships Arts ...

for his outstanding contributions to the chemistry of synthetic rubber * 1949

Charles Goodyear Medal The Charles Goodyear Medal is the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society, Rubber Division. Established in 1941, the award is named after Charles Goodyear, the discoverer of vulcanization, and consists of a gold medal, a framed ...

for outstanding achievement in the field of rubber chemistry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Harry L. Presidents of the American Chemical Society Polymer scientists and engineers People from Kingston, New York 1885 births 1961 deaths Williams College alumni Presidents of the American Institute of Chemists