Harkins, William D. (William Draper), 1873-1951

Chemist.

From the description of Papers, 1877-1988 (inclusive). (University of Chicago Library). WorldCat record id: 52248182

William D. Harkins was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1873. After a successful childhood dalliance in oil speculation, Harkins immersed himself in science. He received his Ph.D. degree from Stanford University in 1907, and prior to his appointment at Chicago, served as Professor of Chemistry at the University of Montana from 1900 to 1912. In 1909, Harkins worked as a research fellow at the Institut für physikalische Chemie und Elektrochemie Karlsruhe in Germany, and in 1911, as a research associate in the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1912, Harkins was appointed Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Chicago. Two years later, he was promoted to Associate Professor, and in 1917, was granted tenure as Professor of Chemistry. Harkins is perhaps most famous for his research on the neutron in the 1920s and 1930s. This research led in part, to Harkins’ appointment as the Andrew MacLeish Distinguished Service Professor of Chemistry in 1931. Although he retired in 1939, Harkins busied himself with research on emulsion polymerization until his death in 1951.

From the guide to the Harkins, William D. Papers, 1877-1988, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)