Mills, G. Alex

Houdry was born on April 18, 1892 in France. In 1911 he received a degree in mechanical engineering. He worked for his family's metal working business. In 1930, he moved to the U.S. He revolutionized the production of gasoline by developing a process for cracking low-grade fuel into high test gasoline. During WWII, he developed a single-step butane dehydrogenation process for producing synthetic rubber. After WWII, he founded a company entitled Oxy-Catalyst, and shifted his focus to reducing health risks associated with automobile exhaust. He patented the catalytic muffler for automobiles in 1962. He died on July 18, 1962. He was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 1990.