Hutchison, Clyde A. (Clyde Allen), 1913-2005

Clyde Allen Hutchison, Jr. (1913-2005) was a chemist who pioneered research in magnetic resonance spectroscopy, served on the faculty of the University of Chicago's Department of Chemistry, and participated in the Manhattan Project. This collection documents Hutchison's work in teaching and research, as well as aspects of his career as a lecturer, visiting professor and administrator. Materials in this collection include lecture notes, drafts, notebooks, correspondence, publications and memorabilia.

Clyde Allen Hutchison, Jr. (1913-2005) was a chemist who pioneered research in magnetic resonance spectroscopy, served on the faculty of the University of Chicago's Department of Chemistry, and participated in the Manhattan Project.

Hutchison was born May 5, 1913, in Alliance, Ohio. In 1933, Hutchison received a bachelor's degree from Cedarville College and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1937.

Hutchison's early career included work with Harold Urey at Columbia University as a National Research Council Fellow, and a position as an assistant professor of chemistry at University of Buffalo. At Columbia University and the University of Virginia, Hutchison participated in the Manhattan Project.

In 1945, Hutchison joined the faculty of the University of Chicago's Department of Chemistry, where he remained until his retirement in 1983. Hutchison served as chairman of the department from 1959-1963. During his tenure, Hutchison conducted fundamental research in the magnetic properties of atoms and molecules. As a pioneer in this field, Hutchison developed equipment and methods that enabled future research in chemistry, physics and medicine.

Teaching was an important part of Hutchison's career. Favoring seminars and informal presentations over traditional coursework, Hutchison led several series of voluntary lectures that were popular among students and faculty.

In addition to his work at University of Chicago, Hutchison lectured at leading universities worldwide, served as editor of the Journal of Chemical Physics from 1953-1959, and worked as consultant to laboratories, including Argonne and Los Alamos. Hutchison was appointed to the second executive committee of the Atomic Scientists of Chicago in 1946, and was involved with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. He received Guggenheim Fellowships to University of Oxford in 1955 and 1972, and visited Oxford again in 1981-1982 as George Eastman Professor of the Clarendon Laboratory. Hutchison also received several honorary degrees, and was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

Music and church were both important parts of Hutchison's life. The son of a Methodist minister, he played organ in his father's congregations, and appeared as a pianist in radio broadcasts. Married in 1937 to Sarah Jane West, Hutchison had two sons and a daughter. He died of prostate cancer in 2005, at age 92.