Elmer Peter Kohler (November 6, 1865 - May 24, 1938) was an American

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

who spent his career on the faculty at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

and later at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. At both institutions, he was notable for his effectiveness in teaching.

Early life and education

Kohler was born in Egypt, Pennsylvania to a family of

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate (region), Palatina ...

heritage. He attended

Muhlenberg College Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Muhlenberg, the German pat ...

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

, where he graduated in 1868. But he was not yet fully focused on

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, and took only one chemistry course there. After graduating, he took a job as a passenger agent with the

Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at variou ...

. He returned to education and received a master's degree from Muhlenberg College in 1889. He then attended

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 ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, where he received his Ph.D. in 1892.

Career

After completing his Ph.D., Kohler was appointed as an instructor at

. He became a professor there in 1900 and later became head of the chemistry department. In 1912, he moved to

, becoming the Abbott and James Lawrence Professor two years later and the Sheldon Emery Professor in 1934. At both institutions, he was recognized as an excellent teacher and lecturer. However, he avoided other public speaking events, such as scientific meetings and talks, which those who knew him attributed to shyness. Throughout his career, Kohler was noted as a skilled experimentalist, continuing to work in the laboratory himself till very shortly before his death. He was particularly noted for skill in

fractional crystallization Fractional crystallization may refer to: * Fractional crystallization (chemistry), a process to separate different solutes from a solution * Fractional crystallization (geology) Fractional crystallization, or crystal fractionation, is one of the ...

and for investigations of the synthesis and properties of various

unsaturated compound A saturated compound is a chemical compound (or ion) that resists addition reactions, such as hydrogenation, oxidative addition, and the binding of a Lewis base. The term is used in many contexts and classes of chemical compounds. Overall, satu ...

s of interest. Among his earliest graduate students at Harvard was

James B. Conant James Bryant Conant (March 26, 1893 – February 11, 1978) was an American chemist, a transformative President of Harvard University, and the first United States Ambassador to West Germany, U.S. Ambassador to West Germany. Conant obtained a ...

, who later became president of the university. In 1920, Kohler was elected to 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 ...

. In 1926, he was elected to the

German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (), in short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded on 1 January 1652, based on academic models in Italy, it was originally named the ''Academi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohler, Elmer Peter 1865 births 1938 deaths American organic chemists Bryn Mawr College faculty Harvard University faculty Members of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences