Julian Howard Gibbs (AC 1947), chemist, was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts on June 24 1924. He graduated from Amherst in 1947, and received his Master's degree and Ph.D. from Princeton in 1949 and 1950 respectively. He taught at the University of Minnesota in 1951-52; worked at General Electric (1952-1955) and the American Viscose Corporation (1955-1960); and taught chemistry at Brown from 1960 until his appointment as Amherst president in 1979. From 1964 to 1972, he was the head of Brown's chemistry department. Gibbs's term as Amherst president was cut short by his sudden death on February 20, 1983, while skiing near Springfield, Massachusetts. Gibbs published several articles on chemistry during his life, and was actively involved in chemical research during his presidency. He was a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Physical Society (which awarded him the High Polymer Prize in 1967 for his research); and a fellow of the American Institute of Chemists. He was awarded honorary degrees by Amherst (1971) and Brown (1981). Gibbs married Cora Lee Gethman in 1946. They had four children, James, Judith, Jeffrey and Jonathan.
From the guide to the Julian H. Gibbs (AC 1947) Papers, 1954-1985 and n.d., (Amherst College Archives and Special Collections)
