Carothers, Wallace Hume, 1896-1937

Wallace H. Carothers was born in Burlington Iowa on April 27, 1896. He attended undergraduate and graduate classes at the University of Illinois, Urbana where he studied under Roger Adam. In 1928 after several years teaching undergraduates at Harvard he accepted a position in Du Pont's newly formed fundamental research program. By 1930 he and his group, which included Julian W. Hill and the future Nobel Laureate in chemistry, Paul Flory, discovered both Nylon and Neoprene. Carothers was plagued by life long depression and in 1937 committed suicide.

From the description of Papers of Wallace H. Carothers, 1924-1978. (Chemical Heritage Foundation). WorldCat record id: 123984574

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