Hale, George C., 1891-1948

Dr. George C. Hale, 1891-1948, was an Indiana native and chemist for the Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, New Jersey. His research concentrated on ordnance both for military and commercial applications.

Dr. George C. Hale was born in Cass, Indiana on September 29, 1891. He briefly worked as a school teacher in Indiana in 1910, before enrolling at Indiana University 1911. In 1915, he graduated with a B.A. and M.S. in Chemistry and was given a teaching fellowship at Indiana University, where he taught until he accepted a position in 1917 as a chemist at the U.S. Army Ordnance Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, New Jersey. He later received his PhD from Indiana University in Chemistry in 1925, being only the sixth person to do so at the time.

As a civilian scientist at the Picatinny Arsenal, Dr. Hale conducted research on a variety of ordnance and developed cylonite (also known as RDX), which eventually went on to largely replace the explosive TNT. Dr. Hale also created another explosive, Haleite, which was named in his honor. He was eventually elevated to the level of Chief Chemist at Picatinny Arsenal and continued his work there until his death on November 3, 1948.

In addition to his work on cyclonite and Haleite, Dr. Hale holds patents on numerous explosives, powders, and propellants. In 1962, the George C. Hale Building, a new laboratory at Picatinny Arsenal, was dedicated in his honor.