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INDUSTRIAL A?iD EXGI.VEERIJG CHEMISTRY
Vol. 22, x o . 4
William Henry Nichols ILLIAM HENRY NICHOLS is dead. Influential in There is no need here t o mention the many processes and prodthe councils of education, finance, and industry, who can ucts which the research depar'tments that he organized have deestimate the loss? And, yet, who would not rejoice to veloped for American commerce. The pioneer work on sulfuric have lived a life much less full of worthy accomplishments? acid and that on electrolytic refining of copper by the Nichols Doctor Nichols died of heart failure on February 21 while on a Copper Company are noteworthy. One other may be mentioned vacation in Hawaii. He is survived by two children, Mrs. because its significance does not seem t o have been appreciated Thomas Sharp, of Coronado, Calif., and Charles W. Nichols, fully. On January 1.5, 1914, seven months before the outbreak of New York. of the World War, synthetic ammonia and its derivatives were Doctor Nichols was born in Brooklyn on January 9, 1852, the produced from atmospheric nitrogen by one of his companies. son of George Henry and Sarah Harris Nichols. He attended This process had Doctor Nichols' keen personal interest. Great Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1865-68 and later New York was his satisfaction, therefore, when after years of further deUniversity, from which he received the velopment he saw the completion of the degree of bachelor of science in 1870 and Hopewell plant for the production of atmaster of science in 1873. Lafayette, mospheric nitrogen products-a monuColumbia, Pittsburgh, Tufts, and New ment t o chemistry and engineering. York University have awarded him the Not only do we find Doctor Nichols' honorary degree of doctor of laws: influence t o have been far-reaching on Doctor Nichols received many honors the development of industrial chemistry, for his professional activities in chemistry but his aid t o the science of chemistry and for his ability as a n industrial leader. has been many-sided. Of particular inAS a young man he helped organize and terest was his contribution, in 1902, of a was later (1918-19) President of the fund for the medal which bears his name. SOCIETY.He was AMERICAN CHEMICAL The only significant condition which he president of the British Society of Chemilaid down was that the award should be cal Industry in 1904, of the Eighth Infor original work which would be externational Congress of Applied Chempected t o have a n important influence in istry in 1912; chairman of the Comstimulating research in chemistry. Y o mittee on Chemical Council of National quality or good deed deserves to be more nearly twice blessed than the endowDefense during the war; a commander ment of this medal. Certainly it has of the Order of the Crown of Italy, and a blessed those who have received it and Knight of Saints Maurizio and Lassaro. I m m e d i a t e l y after graduating from through them a whole army of encollege in 1870 Doctor Nichols started in thusiastic workers have been stimulated t o further endeavor. I t has blessed the the chemical business with a friend by the William Henry Nichols name of Walter under the firm name of giver, too, particularly in the personal Nichols and Walter. Later the name satisfaction that he felt in being instrumental in stimulating discoveries which was changed to G. H. Nichols a n d Company, and this in 1890 was incorporated as the Nichols will be of ever increasing value to mankind. His continued insistence on the value of research t o members of Chemical Company. As a result of rigid care in manufacture and scrupulous regard for the quality of its products, this company en- his own organization, t o educational institutions, to business asjoyed an enviable reputation which won considerable financial suc- sociates, and particularly t o executives in other lines of endeavor cess. Within the next few years his genius as a financier became appears t o have been one of his most important contributions. Who would dare t o say what would be an adequate estimate of evident in his successful merging of twelve chemical concerns in this influence on the economic progress of America? 1899 under the name of the General Chemical Company. Doctor Nichols' contributions t o philanthropic causes, espeFrom then on the affairs of Doctor Nichols developed rapidly. cially education, have been noteworthy. He has given financial He became a director and vice president of the Corn Exchange aid to the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and to Kew York UniBank and a director of the Title Guarantee and Trust Company. His financial interests inmanufacturing broadened out, and finally, versity. During his life his contributions to the latter amounted shortly after the war, he negotiated another successful consolida- to over a million dollars, including the Nichols Chemistry Laboratory and 8250,000 for the School of Education Building. He has tion of a number of companies with diverse activities in the chemical field. There was thus born the Allied Chemical and Dye left over half of his fortune t o charitable and educational institutions, including legacies to the Polytechnic Institute and to New Corporation with its wide-flung interests covering every field of CHERIICAI. SOCIETY. chemical manufacturing. The market value of the securities of York University and $50,000t o the AMERIC.~N Kot only did he give money generously, but during the later this concern has been within the year over three-quarters of a billion dollars. And what a commentary on the varied qualities years of his life he devoted much time and energy to the details of educational administration as a n active member of the councils of this man and his associates i t is, that a great part of this develof the Polytechnic Institute and of New York University, for a opment was made from earnings! But we like to think of Doctor Nichols, not so much as a per- short period acting as chancellor of the latter institution. -4 host of friends and acquaintances have appreciated the sonality in which there was combined the genius of a great financier with the organizing ability of a great industrialist, b u t as one kindly personality and the sage council of this stalwart man. who a t the very beginning of his career had a profound apprecia- Countless youths of Greater New York, who have started and will start out into life's activities, owe much t o him. Chemistry a s tion for research. He was the first captain of industry in America an industry and the masses t o whom it brings comfort and pleasure t o capitalize the value of research in industry, and the organizaowe much t o Doctor Nichols. Chemistry a s a science owes much tions which he controlled were profiting handsomely thereby decto him, The chemists of America will long revere his memory. ades before the majority of executives seem t o have appreciated R. R. RENSHAW this.
