ACS President: J. Lawrence Smith (1818 – 1883)
Served as President: 1877
Did arithmetic at age 4 even before he could read, algebra at 8, calculus at 13
Sold his extensive, world-wide meteorite collection to Harvard University just before his death; wife used funds to establish the Smith Medal and Award
Education:
- Doctorate, 1840, University of South Carolina, Medicine
- Post-doctoral studies in France and Germany in medicine, chemistry and geology with Dumas, Liebig, etc
Career Highlights:
- Professor of medical chemistry and toxicology, University of Louisville (KY), 1854-66
- Private research in home lab, Louisville, 1866-83
- Specialized in analytical and mineralogical chemistry, and toxicology
Notable Accomplishments:
Developed the potassium chromate test for barium and the J. Lawrence Smith method of analysis of silicates for alkali metals, 1853 (tests which remained the best analytical tools for approximately a hundred years). Made a thorough study of Turkish mineral resources, 1846-50
Collected and studied meteorites from all over the world
Major Awards and Honors:
- Elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, 1872
- Elected member of Academy of Sciences of the Institut de France, 1879
- Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur
- Chevalier of the Imperial Order of St. Stanislaus of Russia
Service to Science:
- President, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1874
- Member, Chemical Society of Berlin
- Member, Chemical Society of London
- Member, Chemical Society of Paris
- Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Member, American Philosophical Society
- Member, American Bureau of Mines
Did You Know
. . . that Smith became an expert in determining the needed minerals for plant growth?
. . . that because of his expertise, Smith went to Turkey in 1874 to teach their farmers how to grow cotton?
