George A. Hulett on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
George Augustus Hulett (July 15, 1867 – September 6, 1955) was an American
physical chemist
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...
, notable as scientific liaison to the British government during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
on the subject of
poison gasses in warfare. He was a member of 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 ...
.
[Dupage County, Illinois
DuPage County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it List of ...]
, where he became known as expert in repairing farm machinery. When George was in high school, a teacher praised his mathematical ability, with the result that his parents shipped him off to live with an uncle in
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
to attend Cleveland High School and then Oberlin Preparatory School. He entered
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...
in 1888. In 1890 he transferred to
Princeton
Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...
, from where he graduated in 1892 with a B.A.
Hulett returned to Oberlin as an assistant in chemistry for four years, then moved to
Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
to study under
Wilhelm Ostwald
Wilhelm Friedrich Ostwald (; – 4 April 1932) was a Latvian chemist and philosopher. Ostwald is credited with being one of the founders of the field of physical chemistry, with Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Walther Nernst and Svante Arrhenius. ...
for a Ph.D. in the new field of
physical chemistry
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mech ...
. His work there was on phase transitions in liquid crystals. He was known for hard work, not only in chemistry but in the mastery of Germany's national card game
skat, as well as chess, billiards, and golf. Obtaining his degree in 1899, he took a position at the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
in
Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
as the university's first instructor in physical chemistry. His vocation (chemistry) and avocation (golf) both there flourished. He was early to recognize and study the existence of fluids under negative pressure. Known as a vigorous "man's man", he lived the bachelor's life for several years with a rooming group of twelve men before marrying Dency Minerva Pierpont Barker in 1904. The marriage lasted more than 50 years, until his death.
[ ttps://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.123.3186.93 Charles P. Smyth, "G.A. Hulett, Great Experimentalist", Science, vol. 123, no. 3186, p. 93 (29 January 1956)/ref>
A 1905 visit to Ann Arbor by ]Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
, then president of Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
, by chance changed Hulett's future. Wilson recruited him to Princeton as its first physical chemist, by 1909 its first full professor of physical chemistry. At Princeton, Hulett developed a research program on standard potentiometric cells as voltage reference standards. Wilson encouraged Hulett's connections as a consultant to various government agencies, especially the Bureau of Standards
A standards organization, standards body, standards developing organization (SDO), or standards setting organization (SSO) is an organization whose primary function is developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpr ...
and Bureau of Mines. On leave from Princeton, Hulett served as director of the latter agency in 1912-1913.General Pershing
General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was an American army general, educator, and founder of the Pershing Rifles. He served as the commander of the American Expeditionary For ...
and his Allied Expeditionary Force
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF; ) was the headquarters of the Commander of Allied forces in northwest Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. US General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the commander in SHAEF thro ...
arrived in France, Hulett, turning down a commission in the Army, became a civilian consulting chemist at A.E.F. headquarters. Later in the war he returned to the U.S. to work on chemical absorbents for gas masks.arthritis
Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...
until his death in 1955.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hulett, George
1867 births
1955 deaths
American physical chemists
Members of the American Philosophical Society