Gustavus D. Hinrichs Papers, 1842-1917 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

The collection is organized into two series: European Papers (1837-1912) and American Papers (1842-1929). The bulk of the collection consists of his papers from the United States.

The European Papers (1837-1912) series contains Hinrichs' personal materials from Denmark and documents his educational and professional career in Europe. Papers include booklets about his hometown of Lunden, his birth certificate, correspondence, school notebooks and textbooks, and his initial research and publications.

The American Papers (1842-1929) series contains Hinrichs' personal and professional materials including military duty, marriage licenses, and correspondence and his professional career such as research, publications, involvement with the weather service including weather reports and bulletins. Also documenting his public involvement concerning the dispute with the university and the legal proceedings of some of his court cases. There are books of fellow scientists, including the works of his son, Carl Gustav Hinrichs.

Much of the collection is in German or a form of shorthand. Some books and articles under the publications section are also written in French.

Biographical/Historical Context:

Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs (1836-1923) was born in Lunden, Denmark on December 2, 1836. After studying science at the University of Copenhagen and the Polytechnic School (Copenhagen), he immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Iowa in 1861. As a chemist and physicist, he became a professor at the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa) in 1864. He also conducted research in meteorology and astronomy, and in 1875 he became the founder and director of the Iowa Weather Service. Hinrichs was active in the Iowa Geological Survey and participated in other scientific conferences. As an expert witness, he provided evidence for court cases involving chloroform and phenacetine implications. In 1885, Hinrichs became involved with the university's administrative reorganization controversies and consequently left in 1886. He took a position as a professor of Chemistry at the St. Louis University in 1889. Hinrichs retired in 1907 and continued his research until he passed away in 1923 at the age of 86.

Acquisition Source: Hans Hinrichs, grandson of Gustavus Hinrichs, donated this collection to the Library from 1959 to 1964. In July of 1977, the collection was transferred from the University of Illinois Archives to the Illinois Historical Survey, the predecessor of the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections Unit.