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J.T. Baker Chemical Company History 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
J.T. Baker Chemical Company was an American chemical manufacturer. Founded in 1904 by John Townsend Baker (1860-1935), the firm was established for the purpose of manufacturing chemically pure reagents. From its founding, the firm's mission was to produce chemicals of the "highest degree of purity commercially possible."
J.T. Baker was the first chemical company to include labels listing accurate analyses of trace impurities on its products. By telling customers exactly what they were getting, these "Baker Analyzed" labels saved academic and industrial chemists a considerable amount of time and rework, and increased confidence in the accuracy of their lab results. This innovation helped J.T. Baker acquire an excellent reputation. Capitalizing on this hard-earned respect, J.T. Baker began publishing The Chemist-Analyst in 1911. This publication became both a sounding-board for the firm's philosophy and a valued "how-to" guide. It also gave ample advertising space to the newest "Baker Analyzed" products.
The firm's founder John Townsend Baker died in 1935. In 1941, his company was acquired by Vick Chemical Company (which was renamed Richardson-Merrell, Incorporated in 1960 and Richardson-Vicks, Incorporated in 1980). Under Vick Chemical, J.T. Baker diversified its product line. During World War II, necessity caused the firm to move into the production of penicillin, pesticides, and component chemicals used in the manufacture of batteries and munitions. After the war, J.T. Baker continued to diversify into areas such as high-purity solvents, chromatography columns, and spill kits for hazardous waste disposal. In 1985, J.T. Baker and its corporate parent Richardson-Vicks were sold to Procter & Gamble Company. This was done to prevent an attempted hostile takeover of Richardson-Vicks by Unilever N.V.
In 1995, Mallinckrodt, Incorporated purchased J.T. Baker from Procter & Gamble, and formed Mallinckrodt Baker, Incorporated. By this time, J.T. Baker had moved heavily into the areas of ceramics, microelectronics, and biopharmaceuticals. In 2000, Tyco International acquired Mallinckrodt Baker and made it part of its Tyco Healthcare Division. In 2007, Tyco Healthcare Division was spun off as an independent company and re-named Covidien. New Mountain Capital purchased Mallinckrodt Baker from Covidien in 2010 and renamed the company Avantor, Incorporated. Today, J.T. Baker Chemicals functions as one of the family of Avantor Performance Materials Brands.
Sources
Avantor - J.T. Baker Website - https://www.avantorsciences.com/pages/en/j-t-baker
J.T. Baker Chemical Company History Records, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The J.T. Baker Chemical Company History Records contain the corporate records of J.T. Baker Chemical Company. Begun in anticipation of J.T. Baker's 75th Anniversary, this collection is a selection of records thought to be of interest in telling the story of the firm. The contents of these records consist mainly of materials generated during the 1970s-1980s. The main focus of these records is on J.T. Baker's marketing and public relations efforts.
The collection is arranged into the following ten series:
- J.T. Baker 75th Anniversary
- J.T. Baker Corporate History
- Finance & Marketing
- Strategic Planning
- Research & Production Files
- Topical Files
- Nobel Laureates Lecture Series
- Product Catalogs & Price Lists
- Publicity and Advertising
- Publications
The J.T. Baker Chemical Company History Records were donated to the Science History Institute (formerly the Chemical Heritage Foundation) by J.T. Baker Chemical Company in 2014.
The J.T. Baker Chemical Company History Records were processed by Andrew Mangravite in May 2014.
People
Organization
- Mallinckrodt, Inc. (Saint Louis, Mo.)
- Procter & Gamble Company
- Richardson-Merrell, Inc
- Richardson-Vicks Inc.
- Vicks Chemical Company
Subject
- Publisher
- Science History Institute Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid created by Andrew Mangravite and encoded into EAD by Kenton G. Jaehnig.
- Finding Aid Date
- 2014
- Access Restrictions
-
The J.T. Baker Chemical Company History Records are open to researchers with the exception of the following materials:
In Series V, selected items in Sub-series 2 - Research Files are closed to researchers until May 2, 2034.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Science History Institute holds copyright to the J.T. Baker Chemical Company History Records. The researcher assumes full responsibility for all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Collection Inventory
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's 75th Anniversary files. These files pertain to the publicity for J.T. Baker's 75th Anniversary, which the firm celebrated in 1979. The contents of these files consist of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, correspondence, brochures, brochure source materials (including a video script), and news clippings.
This series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's corporate history files. The contents of this series are arranged into the following two sub-series:
- Proposed Museum, Ownership Changes
- Announcements, Plants, Training
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series consists of J.T. Baker Chemical Company corporate history files. These files primarily concern a proposed J.T. Baker company museum and the firm's ownership changes over the course of its existence. A few files pertaining to other topics, including a 1981 labor strike and the firm's dealings with the Center for History of Chemistry (now called the Science History Institute) are also found here.
The contents of this sub-series consist of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, correspondence, news clippings, booklets, and overhead slides.
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series also consists of J.T. Baker Chemical Company corporate history files. The files in this sub-series primarily concern the firm's organizational announcements, its plants, and the training of its employees. A handful of files regarding other topics, including the sale of J.T. Baker to Mallinckrodt, Incorporated and surveys are also present here.
The contents of this sub-series consist of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, corporate announcements, logbooks, memoranda, and surveys.
See also Box 14 Folder 14.
This series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's financial and marketing records. The contents of these files are arranged into the following two sub-series:
- Ledgers
- Files
Arranged chronologically by date, this sub-series contains five J.T. Baker Chemical Company financial ledgers. The materials in this sub-series contain a limited amount of information regarding the firm's financial dealings between 1925 and 1968.
Arranged chronologically by date, this sub-series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's financial and marketing files. These files provide a limited amount of documentation regarding the firm's financial dealings. The files in this sub-series also contain a limited amount of documentation regarding J.T. Baker's marketing activities. A very small amount of financial materials generated by J.T. Baker's corporate parent Mallinckrodt Baker, Incorporated are also found here.
The contents of this sub-series consist of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, memoranda, analyses, reports, presentations, and miscellaneous marketing materials.
Arranged chronologically by date, this series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's strategic planning files. These files primarily document strategic planning activities conducted by J.T. Baker's management. A small amount of documentation regarding strategic planning conducted by J.T. Baker's corporate parent Mallinckrodt Baker, Incorporated is also preserved here.
The contents of the Strategic Planning Files consist of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, memoranda, reports, and minutes.
See also Box 13 Folder 26.
This series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's research and production files. The contents of the Research & Production Files are arranged into the following two sub-series:
- S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure) Sheets
- Research Files
Mostly arranged alphabetically by letter, this sub-series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure) sheets. The S.O.P. sheets are contained in binders.
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's research files. These files contain a limited amount of documentation regarding the firm's research and development activities, including its work on penicillin.
The contents of the Research Files consist of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, correspondence, photocopied notebook pages, and operating instructions.
Selected items in this sub-series are closed to researchers until May 2, 2034.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's topical files. These files concern various subjects that were of interest to J.T. Baker's staff. Most of the materials in this series came from the files of William J. Wojcik, J.T. Baker's Manager of Advertising.
The contents of the Topical Files consist of a wide variety of materials, including, but not limited to, correspondence, memoranda, advertisements, brochures, labels, and brochure and label mock-ups.
See also Box 14 Folder 24.
See also Box 6 Folder 18.
See also Box 13 Folder 21.
See also Box 3 Folder 16.
See also Box 13 Folder 21.
In 1978, J.T. Baker Chemical Company became the sponsor of the American Chemical Society's Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry as part of its 75th Anniversary celebration. As part of this effort, the firm established the "Perspectives for the Future" lecture series, which featured lectures by Nobel Laureates.
This series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's Nobel Laureates Lecture Series files. The contents of this series are arranged into the following two sub-series:
- Chronological Files
- Named Files
Arranged chronologically by year, this sub-series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's chronological files concerning the Nobel Laureates Lecture Series. These files primarily document the planning and public relations work involved in staging the lecture series. Nobel Laureates who spoke at the lectures represented in this sub-series include Christian B. Anfison, Glenn T. Seaborg, Melvin Calvin, Max Delbruck, and Robert W. Holley.
The contents of these files consist of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, correspondence, financial documents, programs, and photocopied portraits.
Mostly arranged in numerical order by original file number, this sub-series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's named files concerning the Nobel Laureates Lecture Series. These files primarily document the planning and public relations work involved in staging this lecture series. Nobel Laureates who spoke at the lectures represented in this sub-series include Christian B. Anfison, Glenn T. Seaborg, Melvin Calvin, Manfred Eigen, H. Gobind Khorana, and Roald Hoffman.
The contents of these files consist of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, correspondence, invitation lists, signature facsimiles, and press releases.
Arranged chronologically by date, this series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company product catalogs and price lists. These files provide information regarding the various chemical products manufactured and marketed by the firm between 1945 and 1992, which include, but are not limited to, reagents, acids, and pharmaceuticals. They also document the prices J.T. Baker charged for its products during this time period.
J.T. Baker product catalogs and price lists make up the bulk of the materials in this series. A very small amount of materials published by competitors Merck Chemicals and Uni-Tech Chemical Manufacturing Company are preserved here as well.
See also Box 18 Folder 30.
See also Box 18 Folder 30.
See also Box 18 Folder 13-14.
This series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's publicity and advertising files. The contents of the Publicity and Advertising Files are arranged into the following three sub-series:
- Publicity Clippings
- Miscellaneous Files
- Advertising
Arranged chronologically by date, this sub-series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's publicity clippings. These files provide documentation of publicity concerning J.T. Baker's corporate activities and products between 1963 and 1986. The contents of this sub-series consist of news clippings.
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series contains miscellaneous J.T. Baker Chemical Company publicity materials. Its contents consist of a file concerning J.T. Baker's news release program, a J.T. Baker calendar, and a New Jersey Technology Council Annual Awards Nomination application submitted by J.T. Baker's corporate parent Mallinckrodt Baker, Incorporated.
Arranged in its original order, this sub-series contains J.T. Baker Chemical Company's advertising files. These files document J.T. Baker's efforts to advertise itself and its products.
J.T. Baker advertisements make up the largest component of the materials in this sub-series. J.T. Baker brochures and a product information files are also found here. Three advertising scrapbooks compiled by the firm are preserved in this sub-series as well.
This series contains publications printed by J.T. Baker Chemical Company. The contents of this series are arranged into the following two sub-series:
- Papers, Monographs, and Miscellaneous Company Publications
- The Chemist Analyst
Arranged alphabetically by author and publisher, this sub-series contains scientific papers, monographs, and miscellaneous publications published by J.T. Baker Chemical Company. The materials in these files provide documentation of research and development work conducted by J.T. Baker and its employees. They are also examples of J.T. Baker's efforts to communicate with scientists, employees, and the general public.
J.T. Baker company publications, including Baker News and Chemical Fumes, make up the largest component of this sub-series. A noticeable number of scientific papers authored by J.T. Baker employees, which were published in scientific journals, are also present in this sub-series. A handful of J.T. Baker company monographs regarding a few of the firm's chemical products are also preserved here. A few issues of publications printed by J.T. Baker's corporate parents Richardson-Merrell, Incorporated and Richardson-Vicks, Incorporated are found in this sub-series as well.
Arranged chronologically by date, this sub-series contains an incomplete run of the J.T. Baker Chemical Company publication The Chemist Analyst, consisting of issues published between 1911 and 1979.