Edward Curtis Franklin (March 1, 1862 – February 13, 1937) was an

American 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 ...

chemist.

Biography

Edward Franklin was born on March 1, 1862, in Geary City,

Doniphan County, Kansas Doniphan County is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat is Troy, and its most populous city is Wathena. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 7,510. The county was named after Alexander Donip ...

. He entered the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

at the age of 22, obtaining his B.S. degree in chemistry in 1888. After completing an M.S. degree in 1890, he decided to study at the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

for one year, but abandoned it by 1891. In 1892, he came back to State University where he remained till 1893 working as assistant chemist. He graduated from

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

, where he received his Ph.D. degree in chemistry in 1894. Franklin then came back to University of Kansas where he spent one year as a chemist before becoming an associate professor there. In 1899, he was promoted to professor of physical chemistry. In 1900, he was named a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

. Franklin also worked as associate manager for a mining project in

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

where he remained till he was informed about coming to

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1903. He began as an associate professor there and was promoted to professor of organic chemistry in 1906. From 1911 to 1913, he served as chief of the division of chemistry of the

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Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

state. As life went by, he started to receive honors from home and abroad including Nichols and

Willard Gibbs Award The Willard Gibbs Award, presented by thChicago Sectionof the American Chemical Society, was established in 1910 by William A. Converse (1862–1940), a former Chairman and Secretary of the Chicago Section of the society and named for Professor Jo ...

s. He was elected as a 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 became a member of both the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

and 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 ...

. Franklin got invited to participate at the British Association for the Advancement of Science at

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, Australia, and

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

, South Africa. He received honorary degrees from

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

(D.Sc., 1923),

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(D.Sc., 1926) and

Wittenberg College Wittenberg University (officially Wittenberg College) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students drawn from 33 states and 9 foreign cou ...

(LL.D., 1927). Franklin became professor emeritus at Stanford University in 1929. He died at his home on the Stanford campus on February 13, 1937, from coronary thrombosis.

Siblings

*''William Suddards Franklin'' *''Nelle Franklin'' *''Joseph Franklin'' *''Thomas Z. Franklin''

Children

*''Anna Comstock Franklin'' *''Peter Charles Scott Franklin'' *''John Curtis Franklin I''

Biography

Siblings

Children

References

Further reading