James Watson Bain (14 November 1875 – 23 January 1964) was a Canadian chemist at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. He is known as one of the founders of the first Canadian chemical society, the Canadian section of the

Society of Chemical Industry The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) is a learned society set up in 1881 "to further the application of chemistry and related sciences for the public benefit". Offices The society's headquarters is in Belgrave Square, London. There are semi-in ...

, and as the first president of the

Chemical Institute of Canada The Chemical Institute of Canada is a Canadian professional umbrella organization for researchers and professionals in the field of chemistry. It was founded in 1921 as the Canadian Institute of Chemistry until it merged with other groups in 1945 ...

Early life and education

Bain was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He was the only son of James Bain, a bookseller, publisher and the first chief librarian of the

Toronto Public Library Toronto Public Library (TPL) is a public library system in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest public library system in Canada, and in 2023 had averaged a higher circulation per capita than any other public library system internationally, making i ...

. Following his graduation from

Jarvis Collegiate Institute Jarvis Collegiate Institute is a high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is named after Jarvis Street where it is located. It is a part of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). Prior to 1998, it was within the Toronto Board of Education ...

, Bain enrolled in mining engineering at the School of Practical Science at the

Career

Bain joined the university staff as a junior instructor in 1897, and following postgraduate work in

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, rose through the academic ranks to become professor of chemical engineering in 1916, and head of the department in 1920. During the

First World War 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 ...

, he was granted a leave of absence to act as a liaison officer for the explosives program of the Canadian war mission in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

In 1932, he married Mary Edith Kilgour of the Kilgour family of Guelph. Throughout his career, Bain served as an advisor and consultant to a variety of industries engaged in chemical operations, and was also involved in numerous professional societies. He was one of the founders of the Canadian section of the

, the first Canadian chemical society. He was also one of the founders and the first president of the Canadian Institute of Chemistry, the forerunner of the

. He was president of the

Royal Canadian Institute The Royal Canadian Institute for Science (RCIScience), known also as the Royal Canadian Institute, is a Canadian nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting the public with Canadian science. History The organization was formed in Toronto as t ...

during its centenary year, 1948, and also a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Recognition

In 1947, Bain was presented with a portrait of himself painted by Kenneth Forbes, in recognition of his contribution to the field of chemical engineering.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bain, James Watson 1875 births 1964 deaths Canadian chemists British emigrants to Canada Scientists from London Academic staff of the University of Toronto University of Toronto alumni