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Chemists' Club Records
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Held at: Science History Institute Archives [Contact Us]315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Science History Institute Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Chemists' Club is a private club in New York, New York whose membership is open to research and industrial chemists from all areas. At its inception, the Club's goal was "to promote the interests of chemists and those interested in the science and applications of chemistry", by providing academics and industrial chemists with space to meet, work, and study. It provided a place for members of various chemical societies to meet and mingle, including the American Chemical Society, the Society of Chemical Industry, the Verein Deutscher Chemiker, the American Electrochemical Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
The Chemists' Club was established in November 1898. Charles F. McKenna, William McMurtrie, Marston T. Bogert, and others formed an organizational committee, and raised money to rent an available property at 108 West 55th Street. Committee chairperson Charles F. Chandler, a professor at Columbia University, donated $1000 to the fledgling organization and became its first president. As of November 29, 1898, the club had one hundred fifty-four charter members, including Leo Hendrik Baekeland, Edward G. Love, William Henry Nichols, and Maximilian Toch. The Chemists' Club filed for incorporation on December 9, 1898. Before long, newer and larger quarters were needed. In 1909, Dr. Morris Loeb set out to solve this problem. Two years later, the opening of the first Clubhouse was celebrated.
A major impetus for forming the Club was the desire to house the library of the American Chemical Society and make the collection available to working chemists. For a time, the library had been located at the University Building, Washington Square, New York. When the University Building was demolished in 1894, the library went into storage. There was a strong desire to find it a new home.
Although the American Chemical Society's library became a core collection of the Chemists' Club in 1912, the Chemists' Club's library also received donations from across the United States. Various funds supported the purchase of new materials. The library eventually absorbed a number of private collections including those of Charles F. Chandler, J. Meritt Matthews, John Mallet, Herman Frasch, Morris Loeb, and Hugo Schweitzer. By 1913, the library was considered the largest chemical library in the country and was opened to the public as well as to members. In 1914, it reportedly contained over 36,000 volumes and carried 400 journals. By 1928, it reportedly included 50,000 volumes.
With the sale of the Chemists' Club building, the library was sold off. Portions of the library were donated to the Othmer Library of the Chemical Heritage Foundation (now the Science History Institute) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1988 and 1997.
This collection represents the culmination of one hundred years of Chemists' Club history. The collection is largely administrative (i.e. board minutes, committee activities, etc.). There is also a wealth of memorabilia related to the Club, associated organizations, and individuals in the chemical community.
Sources
Chemists' Club Records, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Chemists' Club. "History." https://www.thechemistsclub.org/history.php.
The Chemists' Club Records contains the institutional records of the Chemist's Club. This collection primarily deals with the various committees of the Chemists' Club and individuals associated with the Club. The collection is arranged into the following eleven series:
- Minutes/Administrative Files
- Committee/Divisional Files
- Chemists' Club Library
- Publications
- Scholarships
- Chemists' Club Symposia
- Chemists' Club Memorabilia
- Chemists' Club Market Analyses
- General Files
- Individuals' Collections
- Unprocessed Addenda
The Chemists' Club Records were donated to the Science History Institute (formerly the Chemical Heritage Foundation) by the Chemists' Club in 1997.
The Chemists' Club Records were processed by Susan Hamson in 1998 and encoded into EAD by Samantha Brigher in 2021.
People
- Baekeland, L. H. (Leo Hendrik), 1863-1944
- Berolzheimer, D. D. (Daniel Deronda), 1877-1952
- Frasch, Herman, 1851-1914
- Killeffer, David H. (David Herbert), 1895-1970
- Hale, William J. (William Jay), 1876-1955
- Haynes, Williams, 1886-1970
- Meade, George P. (George Peterkin), 1883-1975
- Othmer, Donald F. (Donald Frederick), 1904-1995
- Priestley, Joseph, 1733-1804
Organization
Subject
- Publisher
- Science History Institute Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid created by Susan Hamson and encoded into EAD by Samantha Brigher.
- Finding Aid Date
- 1998
- Access Restrictions
-
Series XI (Boxes 68-73) are restricted with access limited to select staff.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Science History Institute holds copyright to the Chemists' Club Records. The researcher assumes full responsibility for all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Collection Inventory
This series contains the Minutes/Administrative Files of the Chemist Club Records. These files consist of meeting minutes and administrative files of the Chemists' Club Board of Trustees, Building Company, and Library Committee. Arranged chronologically by date range, this series consists of twenty-eight boxes of ninety files. The files are arranged into the following three sub-series:
- Chemists' Club Board of Trustees Minutes
- Chemists' Club Building Company Minutes
- Chemists' Club Library Committee Minutes
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of twenty-two boxes of seventy files. These files contain the meeting minutes and summary of resolutions belonging to the Chemists' Club Board of Trustees. Boxes 19-22 contain unbound meeting minutes dating from 1950-1996.
Arranged chronologically by date, this sub-series consists of three boxes of thirteen files. These files contain the meeting minutes belonging to the Chemists' Club Building Company Minutes.
Arranged chronologically by date, this sub-series consists of three boxes of seven files. These files contain the meeting minutes belonging to the Chemists' Club Library Committee Minutes. Box 26 contains unbound meeting minutes.
This series contains the Committee/Divisional Files of the Chemists' Club Records. These files consist of deeds, mortgage extension agreements, leases, bulletins, addenda, construction estimates, illustrations, blueprints, certificates of occupancy, meeting minutes, financial statements, reports, budgets, treasurer's reports, and correspondence belonging to the Chemists' Club Building Company, History Committee, Membership Committee, and Finance Committee. Arranged in its original order, this series consists of twelve boxes of one hundred-eleven files. The files are arranged into the following four sub-series:
- Chemists' Club Building Company
- Chemists' Club History Committee
- Chemists' Club Membership Committee
- Chemists' Club Finance Committee
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of three boxes of twenty-nine files. These files contain deeds, mortgage extension agreements, and leases belonging to the Chemists' Club Building Company. Boxes 30-31 primarily concern renovations to the club quarters and include bulletins, addenda, illustrations, construction estimates, construction blueprints, correspondence, and certificates of occupancy.
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of four boxes of fifty files. These files contain meeting minutes, financial statements, budgets, reports, and correspondence belonging to the Chemists' Club History Committee. Boxes 34-35 contain correspondence belonging to William Hale, Williams Haynes, and Jean Pinchack.
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of two boxes of twenty-four files. These files contain meeting minutes, correspondence, a membership manual, mission statement, by-laws, trial membership information and applications, membership development proposals, membership guides, lists and directories of Membership Committee members, and other membership materials belonging to the Chemists' Club Membership Committee.
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of three boxes of eight files. These files contain meeting minutes, correspondence, information about usage of funds, budgets, financial statements, donations, and tax returns belonging to the Chemists' Club Finance Committee.
This series contains the Chemists' Club Library files belonging to the Chemists' Club. Arranged in its original order, this series consists of six boxes of seventy files. These files contain annual and monthly reports, correspondence, library brochures and bookmarks, location aids and signs, library rules and regulations, library survey results, and articles and papers about the Chemists' Club. The contents of the files are arranged into the following four sub-series:
- Annual Reports/Monthly Reports
- Correspondence
- Library Administrative Miscellany
- Articles and Papers About the Chemists' Club
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of one box. Box 41 contains annual and monthly reports belonging to the Chemists' Club Library. The annual reports date between 1915-1993, and the monthly reports date between 1972-1993. There are years missing in both the annual and monthly reports.
Arranged chronologically by date, this sub-series consists of three boxes of thirty-seven files. These files contain correspondence belonging to the Chemists' Club Library and chemist George Peterkin Meade. Meade's correspondence files date from 1970-1979.
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of one box of seven files. These files contain library brochures, bookmarks, location aids, signs, library rules and regulations, materials regarding the 1973 Library Benefit Ball, and library usage survey results belonging to the Chemists' Club Library.
Arranged chronologically by date, this sub-series consists of one box of twenty-six files. These files contain articles and papers about the Chemists' Club belonging to the Chemists' Club Library. Several of the articles were published in chemistry and engineering journals and magazines, including The Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Chemtech, The Chemist, Today's Chemist at Work, and The Chemical Marketing Reporter.
This series contains the Publications files belonging to the Chemists' Club. Arranged in its original order, this series consists of two boxes of thirty-seven files. These files contain published issues of the Chemists' Club News, The Retort, Library News, and The Percolator. The contents of the files are arranged into the following four sub-series:
- Chemists' Club News
- The Retort
- Library News
- The Percolator
Arranged by volume and issue number, this sub-series consists of two boxes of twenty-four files. These files contain Volumes 1-33 of Chemists' Club News. Some issues are not available in this collection.
Arranged by volume and issue number, this sub-series consists of one box of six files. These files contain Volumes 2-6 of The Retort. Some issues are not available in this collection.
Arranged by volume and issue number, this sub-series consists of one box of five files. These files contain issues 1, 3-5, 7-10, 11-16, and 68 of Library News. Some issues are not available in this collection.
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of one box of three files. These files contain Volume 29, Numbers 10-12, Volume 34, Number 4 of The Percolator. File 14 consists of typed "highlights" and photocopies of early issues from 1909-1912.
This series contains the Scholarships files of the Chemists' Club Records. Arranged in its original order, this series consists of one box. Box 49 contains scholarship materials from 1990-1994.
This series contains the Chemists' Club Symposia files of the Chemists' Club Records. Arranged chronologically by date, this series consists of one box of nine files. These files contain symposia programs and announcements, materials about library luncheons, and publications about bibliographical research, patents, financial planning, chemical marketing, global marketing, business information, investments, and trade opportunities.
This series contains the Chemists' Club Memorabilia files of the Chemists' Club Records. Arranged in its original order, this series consists of five boxes of ninety-seven files. These files contain Chemists' Club memorabilia, visitors' registers, awards materials, and materials about Chemists' Club commemorative dinners. The contents of the files are arranged into the following three sub-series:
- Memorabilia
- Chemists' Club Visitors Registers
- Awards and Commemorative Dinners
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of two boxes of thirty-two files. These files contain Chemists' Club memorabilia including invitations and programs for Chemists' Club events, informational brochures, stationary, adhesive decals, certificates of appreciation, publications, a radio address given by Lamott DuPont, and typed transcripts of the Syzmanowitz Autograph Collection.
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of two boxes of eight files. These files contain Chemists' Club Visitors Registers dating from 1951-1995. Visitors Registers from 1952-1982 and 1989-1993 are not in this collection.
Arranged by subject's last name, this sub-series consists of one box of fifty-seven files about awards and commemorative dinners in honor of fifty-six individuals related to the Chemists' Club. Individuals of note: Belgian chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland; American chemist William O. Baker; American chemist George Denton Beal; German-American chemist and chemical manufacturer Victor Gustav Bloede; American chemical industrialist Herbert Henry Dow; American chemist Henry Eyring; American scientist and ACS Board of Directors member Milton Harris; American chemist Donald F. Hornig; German chemist Hans Boegh Jonassen; James Rhyne Killian, Jr. (President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology); American chemist Irving Langmuir; Austrian-American chemist Herman Francis Mark; American chemist Carl Shipp Marks; American chemist William Henry Nichols; American chemist William Albert Noyes, Jr.; American chemist James A. Rafferty (General Manager, Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation); American chemist George Scatchard; American chemist Glenn T. Seaborg; American chemical engineer Harold A. Sorgenti; research chemist Monroe E. Spaght, American engineer Earl A. Thompson; American physical chemist Harold C. Urey; American biochemist Vincent du Vigneaud; American chemical manufacturer William Wishnick.
This series contains the Chemists' Club Market Analyses files of the Chemists' Club Records. Arranged chronologically by date, this series consists of one box of nine files. These files contain written materials about marketing programs, strategic research, library services, and materials specific to the Chemists' Club.
This series contains the General Files of the Chemists' Club Records. Arranged in its original order, this series consists of one box of three files. Box 56 contains lists of Chemists' Club Board of Trustees members, contracts, and secretary's copies of correspondence.
This series contains the Individuals' Collections of the Chemists' Club Records. Arranged in its original order, this series consists of nine boxes of twenty-eight files. The contents of the Individuals' Collections are arranged into the following two sub-series:
- Herman Frasch Collection
- D. D. Berolzheimer Supporting Materials
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of two boxes of twenty files belonging to chemist Herman Frasch. These files contain correspondence between Herman Frasch and Jacob C. Hoffman, Frasch's personal and business letters, patents, publications, written speeches, transfer of stock certificates, and memorabilia.
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of seven boxes of seven files belonging to chemist and philatelist Daniel Deronda Berolzheimer. These materials primarily concern supporting materials for Berolzheimer's Bibliography of Bibliographies on Chemistry and Chemical Technology, 1900-1924. The materials include three boxes of translated journal articles and one box of typescript manuals, a radio script, publications, an acceptance speech for the J. T. Grady Award, and correspondence.
This series contains the Unprocessed Addenda to the Chemists' Club Records. Arranged in its original order, this series consists of six boxes of unprocessed newsletters, correspondence, publications, biographical sketches, engraving blocks, and Joseph Priestley memorabilia.