George S. Hammond Collection

George S. Hammond was a prominent American chemist and chemistry professor. Born in Auburn, Maine on May 22, 1921, Hammond received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Bates College in 1943. After graduating from Bates, he briefly worked as a research assistant at Rohm & Haas Company, but soon left to attend graduate school. Hammond earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University in 1947. After receiving his doctorate, he served as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles (1947-1948).

In 1948, Hammond joined the faculty at Iowa State College (now Iowa State University), where he served as Assistant Professor of Chemistry (1948-1951) and Associate Professor of Chemistry (1951-1958). He was subsequently hired away from Iowa State by the California Institute of Technology, where he held the titles of Professor of Organic Chemistry (1958-1964) and Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry (1964-1972). In 1972, Hammond moved to the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he served as Vice Chancellor of Sciences (1972-1975) and Professor of Chemistry (1972-1978).

Hammond left academia in 1978 when he was hired as Associate Director of Research, Physical, & Organic Chemistry by Allied Chemical Corporation (now Allied Signal Corporation). He rose through the firm’s research hierarchy, eventually reaching the rank of Executive Director of Biosciences, Metals, and Ceramics Laboratories. Hammond retired from Allied Signal Corporation in 1987, but continued to work as a chemical industry consultant for a number of years. He also served as a part-time Visiting Professor of Chemistry at Bowling Green State University, Georgetown University, and Portland State University.

Hammond mainly conducted research on physical organic chemistry, free radicals, and mechanisms of organic reactions. He was best known for formulating the Hammond Postulate (published in 1955), in which he described the geometric structure of the transition state in an organic chemical reaction. He was also noted for his research on photochemistry.

Hammond was the recipient of a number of awards, including the Priestly Medal (1976), the National Medal of Science (1994), and the Othmer Gold Medal (2003). He was also an active member of a number of professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society. He was also the author of numerous journal articles and papers.

George S. Hammond passed away on October 5, 2005.

Sources

George S. Hammond Collection, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.