Foil A. Miller Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy Postal Cover Collection

Born on January 18, 1916 in Aurora, Illinois, Foil A. Miller was an American chemist best known for his work in infrared and Raman spectroscopy. After growing up in Pepin, Wisconsin, Miller received his B.S. in chemistry from Hamline University in 1937. After spending some time on initial graduate level work at the University of Nebraska, Miller attended Johns Hopkins University where he received his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1942.

After holding a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota for two years, Miller proceeded to teach at the University of Nebraska for another four years. Starting in 1948, he joined the Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as head of the spectroscopy division. He then proceeded to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship for his work in Zürich, Switzerland from 1957-1958, and then became professor and head of the spectroscopy laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh, a position he held until his retirement as chemistry professor emeritus in 1981.

A pioneer in the field of Raman spectroscopy, Miller’s work contributed to a greater understanding of molecular structure and bonding, as well as the study of spectra of inorganic covalent compounds, long linear molecules, and molecules with unusual geometry such as cubane and cyclopropenone. He was also an active member of the Spectroscopy Society and the Society of Analytical Chemists. Miller was also an organizer of the first Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy held in 1950.

Foil A. Miller passed away on September 20, 2016.

Sources

Foil A. Miller Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy Postal Cover Collection, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.