Charles Ernest Acker (1868–1920) was an American electrical engineer and inventor of the "Acker Process" for manufacturing

sodium hydroxide Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations and hydroxide anions . Sodium hydroxide is a highly corrosive base (chemistry), ...

electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses Direct current, direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of c ...

molten salt Molten salt is salt which is solid at standard temperature and pressure but liquified due to elevated temperature. A salt that is liquid even at standard temperature and pressure is usually called a room-temperature ionic liquid, and molten salts ...

, for which he was awarded the

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and a center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and wikt:statesman, statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin ...

Elliott Cresson Medal The Elliott Cresson Medal, also known as the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, was the highest award given by the Franklin Institute. The award was established by Elliott Cresson, life member of the Franklin Institute, with $1,000 granted in 1848. Th ...

in 1902.

Life

Acker was born in

Bourbon, Indiana Bourbon is a town in Bourbon Township, Marshall County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,698 at the 2020 census. History The town of Bourbon was laid out in 1853 when it was certain the railroad would be extended to that point. It ...

, on March 19, 1868, the son of William James Acker, a manufacturer.John William Leonard (ed.), ''Who's Who in Finance, Banking and Insurance'' (New York, 1911), p. 508. He studied at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, graduating in 1888, and worked as an electrical engineer in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

until 1893. In 1892 he married Alice Reynolds Beal. They had several children, one of whom was the painter Marjorie Acker Phillips. Acker set up his own factory in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

, under the name Acker Process Company, and eventually held several dozen patents.e.g. ''Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office'', vol. 131 (1908)
pp. 2251-2252
''Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents United States'' (1908
p. 2
He claimed to have been the first person in America to manufacture

carbon tetrachloride Carbon tetrachloride, also known by many other names (such as carbon tet for short and tetrachloromethane, also IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry, recognised by the IUPAC), is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CCl4. It is a n ...

. He served as director of the

American Electrochemical Society American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

and president of the

Niagara Falls Country Club The Niagara Falls Country Club, located at 505 Mountain View Drive, is an exclusive country club and golf course located in the ''Lewiston Heights'' neighborhood of Lewiston (town), New York, Lewiston, New York, just outside Niagara Falls, New Yo ...

. Acker died in

Ossining, New York Ossining ( ) is a town located along the Hudson River in Westchester County, New York. The population was 40,061 at the time of the 2020 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which ...

, on October 18, 1920.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acker, Charles Ernest 1868 births 1920 deaths Engineers from Indiana Cornell University alumni People from Marshall County, Indiana 19th-century American engineers 20th-century American engineers American electrical engineers