Julian Werner Hill | |
---|---|
Born | 1904 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
Died | January 29, 1996 Hockessin, Delaware, U.S. |
Alma mater | Washington University in St. Louis Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Occupation | chemist |
Spouse | Mary Louisa Butcher |
Children | 2 sons, 1 daughter |
Julian W. Hill (1904-1996) was an American chemist who helped develop nylon.[1]
Early life
[edit]Julian W. Hill was born in 1904, and he grew up in Warrenton, Missouri.[2] He graduated from the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis in 1924, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, and he went on to earn a PhD in organic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1928.[2][3][1]
Career
[edit]Hill joined DuPont, where he worked as a chemist in the Experimental Station laboratories under Wallace H. Carothers's supervision.[3] He initially studied polymers in the 1920s.[1] By 1930, he had used a cold drawing method to produce a polyester.[2][4] Hill's cold drawing method was used by Carothers in 1934 to develop the polyamide later named nylon, which was patented by DuPont[3] and was a greater commercial success due to its higher melting point.[2]
Hill was promoted to assistant director of the chemical department.[2] He also served on DuPont's steering committee from 1932 to 1951.[2] He became the Chair of DuPont's Committee on Educational Aid in 1951, and he helped fund academic programs in the United States until his retirement in 1964.[2][3][1]
Personal life and death
[edit]Hill married Mary Louisa "Polly" Butcher, a Vassar College alumna, in 1931.[5] They had two sons and a daughter.[3] He had poliomyelitis.[3] He retired at the Cokesbury Village retirement village in Hockessin, Delaware with his wife, where he died on January 29, 1996.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Julian W. Hill; DuPont Chemist Helped Develop Nylon". The Los Angeles Times. February 2, 1996. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g "1930 Julian Hill". DuPont. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Stout, David (February 1, 1996). "Julian W. Hill, Nylon's Discoverer, Dies at 91". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- ^ Wallace Carothers and the Development of Nylon ACS National Historic Chemical Landmark
- ^ "Engagement of Julian Hill". Warrenton Banner. Warrenton, Illinois. October 9, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved March 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.