Charles Phelps Smyth Papers

Smyth, Charles Phelps (1895-1990)

Charles Phelps Smyth, a graduate of Princeton in 1916, joined the University faculty in 1920. He became associate professor of chemistry in 1927 and professor in 1938. During World War II, Smyth worked on the atomic bomb for the Manhattan District Project, and served during the last months of the war with a scientific intelligence unit, Alsos Mission, near the front lines in Europe. He received the Medal of Freedom from the U.S. Army for his mission achievements. Smyth's chemical research was directed toward increased knowledge of the structure of matter. He was associate editor of the Journal of Chemical Physics (1933-1936, 1952-1954), published over 300 articles in scientific books and journals, and authored two books: Dielectric Constant and Molecular Structure (1931) and Dielectric Behavior and Structure (1955). He died in 1990.

Princeton University

The College of New Jersey was initially chartered in 1746. The first classes were held in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in the parsonage of the president, the Reverend Jonathan Dickinson. Upon his death, the College moved to Newark, New Jersey, and was headed by the Reverend Aaron Burr, Sr. Since 1756, the College has been located in Princeton, New Jersey. For the first fifty years, nearly all College operations took place within Nassau Hall. Fires, fundraising difficulties, low student enrollment, and the Civil War challenged the vitality of the College in the early and middle nineteenth century, but the College grew vigorously under the leadership of President James McCosh, and it was renamed Princeton University in 1896. The Graduate School was established in 1900, although a limited graduate program had existed since the 1870s. Princeton enthusiastically supported the country (living up to its informal motto, "Princeton in the Nation's Service") during the First and Second World Wars, offering the expertise of faculty and campus space for training, as well as facilitating the early graduation of students so they could enlist. The post-World War II years brought dramatic changes to Princeton. The size and strength of the University's facilities and academic programs—especially for the applied sciences and public policy—were increased dramatically. Under President Robert Goheen, Princeton began to admit minority students in greater numbers in the 1960s and admitted women undergraduates in 1969. Today, Princeton is widely regarded as one of the top universities in the world.

The collection consists of works of Smyth, his professional correspondence, copies of doctoral dissertations by his graduate students, miscellaneous material, and printed matter. His works include autograph and typed manuscripts, with graphs, diagrams, and galley proofs, of two books, Dielectric Constant and Molecular Structure (1931) and Dielectric Behavior and Structure (1955), a manuscript on the life and accomplishments of Peter J. W. Debye for the Dictionary of Scientific Biography, and miscellaneous material about these works. In addition, there are many offprints of his articles that appeared in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the American Journal of Science, and the Journal of Chemical Physics.

Unprocessed.

Publications by Smyth: Dielectric Constant and Molecular Structure (New York: The Chemical Catalog Company, Inc., 1931), Dielectric Behavior and Structure (New York: McGraw Hill, 1955)

Gift of the author. Additions are a gift of Mrs. Emily Camp.

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The contents list was compiled by Jerome Jackson in July 2010.

No appraisal information is available.

Use

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Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Charles Phelps Smyth Papers, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Publisher

Manuscripts Division

Date

2009

Creator

Smyth, Charles Phelps (1895-1990)

Subject

Chemistry -- Study and teaching -- New Jersey -- Princeton -- 20th century

Chemistry, Physical and theoretical

Dielectrics

Dipole moments

People

Debye, Peter J. W. (Peter Josef William) (1884-1966)

Organization

Princeton University

Occupation

Chemists -- United States -- 20th century

Language

English

Form

Correspondence -- 20th century

Dissertations -- 20th century

Manuscripts -- 20th century

Chemists -- New Jersey -- Princeton -- 20th century