Finding Aid for William A. Noyes Papers, 1870-1942 | University of Illinois Archives

Title: William A. Noyes Papers, 1870-1942

ID: 15/5/21

Primary Creator: Noyes, William A. (William Albert) (1857-1941)

Extent: 9.0 cubic feet

Arrangement: By subject and chronologically thereunder.

Subjects: American Chemical Society, Camphor, Chemical Abstracts, Chemical Bonding, Civil Rights, Economics, Electron Theory, Faculty Papers, Ionization, Iowa College, Johns Hopkins University, Laboratory Notes, Organic Chemistry, Peace, Religion, Valence, War Costs, War Responsibility, World War I - Costs and Finances, World War I - Diplomacy and Politics, World War I - Scientific Research and Development

Formats/Genres: Papers

Languages: English

Correspondence, manuscripts, publications and photographs of William A. Noyes, (1857-1941), professor of Chemistry (1907-26), including essays, notebooks and correspondence from his student years (Iowa College, 1875-79; Johns Hopkins, 1880-82); manuscripts of published and unpublished scientific papers; correspondence with colleagues on chemical problems; personal correspondence with family and friends; laboratory notebooks and correspondence and manuscripts on domestic and international affairs, economics and religion. The papers include manuscripts of his early investigations into the structure of camphoric acid and the camphor series, and of his later studies on valence, electron theory, correspondence with Linus Pauling, Gilbert Lewis, Robert Mulliken and Julius Stieglitz. Other scientific correspondents include Ira Remsen, Alexander Smith, Roger Adams, Arthur B. Lamb, Arthur Compton, Charles Jackson and Theodore Richards. Numerous files concern Noyes; editorship of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Chemical Abstracts, Chemical Reviews and Chemical Monographs. His laboratory notes are complete from 1895-1934. Included in his personal and non-scientific papers are manuscripts of articles on war, the economy, fascism, interventionism, religion and similar subjects (1920-40). Related correspondence stresses his efforts to reunite the international scientific community after World War I, encouragement of economic sanctions against aggressors in the 1930's, work on behalf of European refugees, and support of civil rights organizations. Richard Willstatter, Charles Marie, Marston Bogart, Albert Shaw, Charles M. Sheldon and Arthur Capper correspond on these subjects. Personal correspondence includes letters from his wives and children.

William Albert Noyes (1857-1941) was professor of chemistry (1907-26), head of the Chemistry Department (1907-26), and director of laboratories (1907-26) at the University of Illinois (UI). He was a pioneering analytic and organic chemist, most widely known for his work with atomic weights. Under his leadership, the UI's Chemistry Department became one of the leading in the nation.

Noyes was born on a farm outside of Independence, Iowa, on November 6, 1857, to parents Mary and Spencer W. Noyes. He earned BA and BS degrees from Iowa College (later Grinnell College) in 1879, undertaking coursework in the classics and chemistry. He studied and taught analytical chemistry following his undergraduate work and was awarded an MA from Iowa College in 1880. In 1882, Noyes earned a PhD from Johns Hopkins University, working under famed chemist Ira Remsen (1846-1927). After receiving his doctorate, Noyes held a teaching position at the University of Minnesota (1882/83) and was Professor of Chemistry at the University of Tennessee (1883-86) and Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana (1886-1903). For a semester during the 1888/1889 school year, he worked with organic chemist Adolf von Baeyer (1835-1917) at the University of Munich. He also served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (1902-17), the first chief chemist of the federal Bureau of Standards (1903-07), founder and first editor (1919-41) of American Chemical Society Scientific Monographs, and founder and first editor (1924-26) of Chemical Reviews.

In his roles as professor, department head, and laboratory director at UI from 1907 to 1926, Noyes reformed the curriculum, expanded the number of teaching staff and students, encouraged an increase in faculty publications, and oversaw the expansion of the laboratory in 1916. He was awarded the Nichols Medal in 1908 along with H. C. P. Weber for their contributions to understanding the atomic weight of chlorine. After beginning his career primarily in the field of analytic chemistry, he made a host of contributions to organic chemistry, including proving the structure of camphor, exploring electronic theories of valence, and developing methods for determining sulfur, manganese, and phosphorus in iron.

Noyes was active in his field and was a member of many organizations, including the American Chemical Society (ACS), Illinois Academy of Science, Society of Chemical Industry, the Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft, and the Société Chimie Industrielle. He was honorary member/fellow of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, and American Philosophical Society. Noyes also served Section C of the American Association for the Advancement of Science as secretary and vice president (1896) and the ACS as editor, secretary, and president (1920). He was member and secretary of the Illinois State Board of Natural Resources and Conservation from 1917 until his death.

Noyes received honorary doctorates from Clark University (1909), the University of Pittsburgh (1920), and Grinnell College (1929). He was awarded the Priestley Medal by the ACS in 1935. The UI's chemistry laboratory was renamed in Noyes's honor in 1939.

Noyes died on October 24, 1941.

Sources:

Wikipedia, s.v. "William A. Noyes," accessed May 6, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_A._Noyes.

Roger Adams, William Albert Noyes (1857â??1941), Biographical Memoir (Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences, 1952): 179â??208, accessed May 6, 2020, http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/noyes-william-a.pdf.

American Chemical Society
Camphor
Chemical Abstracts
Chemical Bonding
Civil Rights
Economics
Electron Theory
Faculty Papers
Ionization
Iowa College
Johns Hopkins University
Laboratory Notes
Organic Chemistry
Peace
Religion
Valence
War Costs
War Responsibility
World War I - Costs and Finances
World War I - Diplomacy and Politics
World War I - Scientific Research and Development

Repository: University of Illinois Archives

Accruals: 3/1963

Other Note: 14 Pages

URL: https://files.archon.library.illinois.edu/uasfa/1505021.pdf

PDF finding aid for William A. Noyes Papers (15/5/21)