PRIESTLEY MEMORIAL AND MEDAL
The originator of the movement resultmg in the preservation of the Priestley home in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, in the deposit of the bust of Joseph Priestley in the National Museum in Washington, and in the establishment of a fund for the triennial award of the Priestley Gold Medal for distinguished services in chemistry, was Professor Francis C. Phillips of the University of Pittsburgh, who presented the proposition to the Pittsburgh Section, which at its October meeting in 1915 appointed
a committee consisting of Francis C. Phillips, J. K. Clement, and W. A. Hamor. On December 15, 1915, Professor Phillips sent the following letter to a large number of the older members of the American Chemical Society: Dear Sir: To one who visits the home of Joseph Priestley a t Northumberland, Pa., the thought must come that there has been a serious lack of effort on the part of American chemists to perpetuate the memory of this great investigator in the field of chemistry during the latter part of the eighteenth century. The Priestley home is owned by persons having no interest in the history of chemistry. I t is beautifully situated on the Susquehanna River a t Northumberland, Pa., but stands between two lines of railroads and is liable to fall a prey to railroad extension. The apparatus used by Priestley in his laboratory in this dwelling is scattered, some being in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, some in Philadelphia, and some in Carlisle, Pa. His library of books was scattered at the time of his death, and their whereabouts a t present is a matter of uncertainty. 643
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Priestley's tomb is marked by a thin slab of marble set up a t the time of his death in 1804. It seems desirable that an effort be made to perpetuate in some suitable manner the memory of this great man. At a recent meeting of the Pittsburgh Section of the American Chemical Society, a committee, consisting of Dr. J. K. Clement, of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, Mr. William A. Hamor, of the Mellon Institute, and the undersigned, was appointed to consider and recommend plans to this end. This committee has had various plans under consideration: ( I ) An attempt might be made to preserve the old Priestley home a t Northumberland, under the supervision of a caretaker; ( 2 ) The remaining pieces of chemical apparatus, relics of Priestley's work, might be gathered together in some one. institution for permanent preservation; (3) A monument might be erected a t the grave of Priestley a t Northumberland, or possibly in some large city. Regarding these plans, it may be said that: (1) The old Priestley home, although a t present in excellent preservation, from its position between two lines of railroads might be subject to destruction for railroad purpose, and, moreover, it is of frame and consequently exposed to fire risk; (2) The apparatus originally owned by Dr. Priestley is a t present held by various institutions and attempts to gather it together in some one place would lead to serious difficulties; (3) There remains then a third plan-to erect a suitable monument to Dr. Priestley. Such a monument might be placed a t his grave in Northumberland or in some large city, probably Philadelphia. If the chemists of America would interest themselves sufficiently in the matter, a small subscription from each would sufficein the aggregate to provide a fitting monument. It seemed to our committee desirable, before moving farther in the matter, to learn the views of the older members of the American Chemical Society, whose knowledge and experience would enable them to judge the probable attitude of the members of the chemical profession toward any such plan. Accordingly, I write to ask if you will be good enough to inform me as to your views on the whole question. I assure you that our committee would deeply appreciate the courtesy of an early reply to this communication. We are avoiding publication as yet. Very truly yours, Francis C. Phillips, Chairman of Committee. On the basis of the replies received the committee reported to the Pittsburgh Section, which section adopted the report and recnmmended its presentation to the general Society, as follows:
Dn. EDGARFAns SMITH UPON THE OCCASION OF PRIESTLEY MEDAL
HIS ICECFIPT OF THE
In addition to the medal, Dr. Smith is also holding the GBttingen diploma which was presented to him on the same evening, September 7, 1926.
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To the Chairman and Members of the Pittsburgh Section of the American Chemical Society. Gentlemen: Your Committee, appointed a t the October meeting of the Section, to consider the question of a monument or other f o m of memorial to Joseph Priestley, begs to present the following report: Our first procedure was to send out a circular letter addressed personally to a number of representative members of the American Chemical Society, hoping in this way to secure opinions which would enable us to judge of the probable attitude of the Society a t large towards such a movement. A copy of this letter is herewith presented. Thirty-four replies have been received in answer to this letter, and the majority of these indicate a deep interest in the subject. Numerous suggestions have been given us. The various plans suggested may be summarized as follows: (1) Preservation of the Priestley home a t Northumberland, Pa. This we believe would not be feasible, because the house with its laboratory room is of frame, because it stands between two railroad lines and is liable to destruction to make room for railroad extension, and because also of the eapense of maintaining the property under control of a caretaker and in a situation far removed from the main lines of travel. (2) The collection of all the apparatus used by Priestley in some one institution, preferably the National Museum in Washington. Although the bulk of Priestley's apparatus is now in the National Museum, some very interesting'pieces were donated by his descendants to other institutions and we believe that any suggestion of their parting with their holdings would cause offense. (3) The collection for deposit in some institution of the books of Priestley's very extensive library. This seems impossible as his books were scattered and can no longer be located. (4) The establishment of a fellowship in chemistry, to be known as the Priestley Fellowship, to be awarded at specified times by a permanent Committee of the American Chemical Society, a t any university selected by the candidate. This would prove an admirable method of perpetuating the memory of Priestley but it would involve an endowment of not less than $20,000. ( 5 ) Erection of a monument which might be in the f o m of a statue or shaft, to be placed in Philadelphia or Washington; or a bronze bust to be placed in the National Museum a t Washington. In addition to the bust, the placing of a bronze tablet bearing a suitable inscription. The cost of a bronze statue would be a t least 812,000; that of a bust would be about $1200; a tablet might cost 8400; the cost of a shaft would be difficult to estimate, but it would be much less than that of a statue. In view of the facts and considerations mentioned, our Committee after deliberation recommends that a communication be sent by the Pittsburgh Section to the Council of the American Chemical Society, setting forth the desirability of a tribute to Joseph Priestley in the
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form of a bronze bust to be placed with the exhibit of Priestley's ap~ a r a t u sin the National Museum in Washineton, together with a bronze tablet bearing a suitable inscription, a d that &e Council be asked to amoint a Committee to solicit subscri~tionsin order to secure the money becessary for the purpose. Our Committee believes that owners of apparatus and books, originally belonging to Priestley, might eventually be willing to add their holdings to the collection already in the National Museum, should the chemists of the country unite in a tribute such as we recommend in honor of the great investigator, Joseph Priestley. Francis C. Phillips, Chairman Committee J. K. Ckment W. A . Hamor This report has been presented to thepittsburghsection, American Chemical Society, a t the February meeting. It was adopted with the recommendation to present it to the general Society. W . C. Cope, Secretary. K . F. Stahl, Chairman.
i
At the meeting of the Society in Urbana, Ill., April 18, 1916, Professor Phillips presented this report, the Council voted that the president should appoint a committee to decide upon the Priestley Memorial with power to carry out their conclusions and to solicit funds therefor. The president appointed the following committee: F. C. Phiiips, chairman, M T. Bogert, E. D. Campbell, C. F. Chandler, F. W. Clarke, E. C. Franklm, J. L. Howe, J. H. Long, Edward W. Morley, A. A. Noyes, W. A. Noyes, Ira Remsen, E. F. Smith, Alfred Springer, an$ F. P. Venable. This committee considered the matter and in July, 1917 sent the following communication to members of the Society:
To the Members of the American Chemical Society: By resolution of the Council of the American Chemical Society adopted a t its meeting in Urbana in April, 1916, the President was requested to appoint a Committee to devise and carry out a plan for a suitable memorial to Joseph Priestley. After careful consideration of various plans, the members of the Committee desire to present the following recommendations to the Society: 1. That a bust portrait of Joseph Priestley be secured, to be a copy of the best available portrait; that this be retained as the property of the American Chemical Society, but be deposited as a loan in the National Museum in Washington. Also, 2. That a gold medal be awarded a t intervals of probably more than one year for superior achievement in chemical research; the award to carry with it the requirement that the recipient shall deliver an address before the General Meeting of the Society a t the time of the mesentation or a t such other time and dace as the Council of the soci'ety may direct. Careful inquiry has convinced the Committee that, in order to carry out these plans, a fund of a t least $2000 should be secured. It
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is requested that subscriptions be sent to the Chairman or to any member of the Committee. Contributions of sums f ~ o m$1.00 upwards are asked. Joseph Priestley was born a t Fieldhead in England in 1733. Although educated for the ministry, he became noted as a teacher and lecturer on natural science, and especially as an investigator in chemistry, devoting his attention largely to the study of gases. Persecuted and shunned as a result of popular prejudice for his theological views as a dissenter from the Established Church, he migrated to America in 1794 and settled with his family in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. Here he established a laboratory and continued his work as an investigator in chemistry. While famous throughout Europe and in America for his historical and philosophical writings, for his important work on the History of Electricity, and many other contributions to scientific literature, he is more especially known to modem chemists for his researches on the chemistry of gases, which culminated in 1774 in the discovery of oxygen, described in his treatise entitled "Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Airs." He continued in America to be a contributor to scientific and theological literature until his death in Northumberland in 1804. On July 31, 1874, many of the leading chemists of America met near the grave of Joseph Priestley a t Northumberland to honor the memory of the man who had discovered oxygen one hundred years before. In the account of the proceedings detailed in the American Chemist for 1874, we are told that a movement was there begun which led later to the establishment of the American Chemical Society. And as the foundation of the Xmerican Chemical Society has been thus linked with the name of Joseph*Priestley, it would seem proper that we should seek in some lasting way to commemorate his work as an investigator and philosopher and tireless searcher after truth. It is earnestly hoped that the plans now proposed by the Committee for a memorial will meet with approval and that we shall be able, by means of an adequate subscription fund, to render such honor as is due to the memory of Joseph Priestley. The war played havoc with the committee's plans, Professor Phillips reporting the collection of only $210.00 by May, 1918. He reported further in May, 1919, that "up to date on account of the war only $243.50 has been secured and that as soon as normal conditions were reached a further campaign to obtain the necessary funds would be made." Professor Phillips unfortunately died in 1920 and W. A. Noyes reported for the committee as follows: The following extract from a letter sent by Professor Phillips to the chairmen of Local Sections last October gives the status of the work of the committee a t that time. "By action of the Council a Committee was appointed previous to the breaking out of the War to carry out plans for a memorial to Joseph Priestley."
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These plans included: "(1) A oortrait of Tosenh Priestlev to be nlaced as a loan in the ~ a 6 d n a ~uiluseum l a t ~ash'ington,bu; to rem'ain the property of the American Chemical Society. "(2) A medal to be presented a t intervals of one year or more, in recognition of superior work in chemical research; the award to be made a t a general meeting of the Society-to carry the requirements of an address by the recipient. "Although a good beginning was made toward raising the fund of $2000.00 needed, the outbreak of the War obliged us to suspend our activities, but we now feel that we should renew our efforts and I write accordingly to ask if you will, a t a meeting of your Section, bring the matter to the attention of members with the request that they aid our Committee by subscribing to the fund. If it is possible to secure any funds the cooperation of some two or three influential members to speak upon the matter and endorse the plan would be a further aid." The sum of $423.93, collected by Professor Phillips before his lamented death in February, is in the hands of the President. Additions to the fund are earnestly solicited. W . A . Noyes Dr. Long had died, L. V. Redman had been made a member of the committee in his place, and Dr. H. P. Talbot added to the committee. In 1921 Dr. Edgar F. Smith was appointed chairman of the committee, and with his usual vigor carried the project to a conclusion, the committee reporting that year that $2000.00 had been collected, placed a t interest, and that the committee had authorized the chfirman to select an artist to copy the Stuart portrait of Priestley which is now a t Northumberland and that immediate steps would be taken to obtain a die for the Priestley Medal. At about this time the Pennsylvania State alumni bad taken up, in conjunction with Dr. Smith, the more extensive plans for the reestablishment of the Priestley home a t Northumberland, Pa., and Dr. Smith in presenting the report of the committee a t New York on September 6, 1921, outlined the plans of the committee and spoke feelingly of his wish that the Society might be able to celebrate its Fiftieth Anniversary with a meeting a t Northumberland in 1926, which in that year was brought about. In 1922 the Priestley Committee was reorganized with only four members, Edgar F. Smith, chairman, C. F. Chandler, C. A. Browne, and Ira Remsen. This committee made its final report a t the meeting of the American Chemical Society in Alabama, April 3, 1922, with names of the donors, statement that a suitable portrait of Joseph Priestley had been deposited in the National Museum in Washington, and that a die for the Priestley Medal had been engraved, cast, and deposited with the Treasurer of the Society, to whom all residual monies had been paid. The committee recommended the following rules to be observed in the award of the Priestley Medal:
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1. The Medal shall be known as the Priestley Medal, and shall be awarded every three years for distinguished services to chemistry. 2. The Committee of Award shall consist of the President of the American Chemical Society, his immediate predecessor in office, the Secretary and Treasurer of the Society, and the Editors-in-Chief of the journals of the Society. 3. The Medal may be awarded not only to members of the Society, but to non-members and to representatives of any nation, without regard to sex. 4. The Medal shall not he awarded more than once to the same individual. 5 . The recipient of the Priestley Medal may be invited to deliver an address at one of the general meetings of the American Chemical Society, as may be determined by the Committee of Award. These regulations were adopted by the Council and are the bases upon which the awards have been made. This report will be found printed on page 459 of Industrial and En~ineeringChemistry for May, 1922. The Council passed a special vote of thanks expressing its appreciation to Dr. Edgar F. Smith as chairman of the Priestley Memorial Committee for his work in getting the funds together, in carrying out the details for the Priestley portrait, the die for the Priestley Medal, and other accomplishments of the committee, and suggested that a replica of the Priestley Medal be placed in the Priestley House a t Northumberland. The first award was made to Ira Remsen a t the Milwaukee Meeting in September, 1923. He was unable io be present and made no address. An account of the award will be found on pBge 994, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, October, 1923. The second award was unanimously made to Edgar F. Smith and was presented to him a t the time of the Semicentennial Meeting of the Society in Philadelphia in September, 1926, President Norris paying tribute to him in the following words: The Priestley Medal of the American Chemical Society is awarded every three years for distinguished services to chemistry. It may be given to a citizen of any nation without any regard to sex. The medal has been awarded but once in the past. I t is my privilege to make the second award tonight. The man upon whom the honor is to be bestowed has the distinction of being the only man who has served the Society during two terms as president.* His influence on American chemistry has been unique through activities in many directions. He has been a leader in research, teaching, and administration. He is the author of thirteen books in the field of inorganic and organic chemistry, which through forty-five editions have added much to chemical learning. He is the Editor's Note.-This is erroneous. Charles F. Chandlcr was president of the Society in 1881 and again in 1889.
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American historian of chemistry and has put on record in six volumes the story of the work of the men who cultivated our science in the early days of the republic. He is the American biographer of Priestley. Through his example and enthusiasm be has implanted a reverence for the historical aspect for chemistry in many followers. There is no one more worthy of the distinction about to be bestowed. We are proud to know a man who will take his place in the history of chemistry and education as one of America's leaders. I n accepting the award Dr. Smith spoke informally, but his words, "It is just your affection for which Icare. I cannot go further. I can only say that I am overwhelmed with gratitude," are so characteristic of him that they were noted and copied by friends of his present. Later in the evening Dr. Smith delivered an address on Joseph Priestley, which address was not presented to the American Chemical ~ o c i e t for i publication but was published by him in the October, 1926, issue of The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle. An account of the award, together with reproduction of both faces of the medal, will be found in The Pennsylvania Gazette for October 8, 1926. The third award of the Priestley Medal was made to Francis P. Garvan a t the September meeting of the Society in Minneapolis in 1929. The account of the same will be found in the September 20, 1929, News Edition. and the address by Mr. Garvan, "Random Thoughts of a Lay Chemist," will be found on page 898 of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry for October, 1929. C
