James M. Church Notebooks

Collection

Identifier: GB19-049

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The James M. Church Notebooks contain two notebooks prepared by American chemical engineer James M. Church. Church prepared these notebooks in 1927 while serving as a teaching fellow at Harvard University’s Chemistry Department. The notebooks were created for Chemistry 17 - Advanced Organic Chemistry, a class taught at Harvard by American organic chemist and inventor of nylon Wallace H. Carothers. The notebooks contain Church’s lecture and class notes.

Dates

Creation: 1927

Creator

Church, James M. (James Marion), 1903-1979 (Person)

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes and the collection is open to the public.

Copyright Information

The Science History Institute holds copyright to the James M. Church Notebooks. The researcher assumes full responsibility for all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Background Note

James M. Church (1903-1979) was an American chemical engineer. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1903, Church earned his undergraduate degree from William Jewell College (1925), then served as a teaching fellow at Harvard University’s Chemistry Department. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1933. After receiving his doctorate, Church taught at Allegheny College and the Drexel Institute of Technology. For a time, he also worked as a chemist and development engineer with Monsanto Chemical Company.

In 1939, Church joined the faculty of Columbia University’s Department of Chemical Engineering, where he enjoyed a noteworthy thirty-two-year career. At Columbia, he was a recognized expert on fire-resistant treatments for textiles and an advocate for flame-resistant clothing. During the 1950s, Church developed the “Columbia Test” for testing the flammability of fabrics. He was also an authority on plastics and was the co-author of Concise Guide to Plastics (1953) and the Encyclopedia of Basic Materials for Plastics (1957).

In addition to his faculty duties, during World War II, Church served as director of a United States Army Quartermasters project at Columbia that developed Thermo-Cast, a lightweight material used for making aircraft parts. He also served as Chairman of the American Chemical Society’s Division of Colloid Chemistry.

James M. Church passed away on August 1, 1979.

Sources

“Dr. James M. Church, An Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, Is Dead.” New York Times, August 5, 1979.

James M. Church Notebooks, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (1 Rare Book Box.)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Two notebooks prepared by American chemical engineer James M. Church. The notebooks were prepared by Church when he was a teaching fellow at Harvard University’s Chemistry Department.