Founding
The ACS Organic Chemistry Division (ORGN) was officially established in 1910 (chaired by Edward Curtis Franklin).
A detailed history written by H. L. Fisher of the start of the Division is available:
Ind. Eng. Chem., 1951, 43 (2), pp 289–294
Edward Curtis Franklin
(1862 - 1937)
Historical Events of the Division
| 1908 |
December 31, 1908, The division was given a temporary organization by ACS with the election for one year of a chairman, Richard S. Curtiss, and a vice chairman and secretary, Ralph H. McKee |
| 1910 |
The ACS Division of Organic Chemistry was officially chartered |
| 1925 |
The First National Symposium on Organic Chemistry (NOS) was held in Rochester, N. Y. |
| 1927 |
The Second National Symposium on Organic Chemistry was held in Columbus, Ohio |
| 1936 |
The Division sponsors the creation of the Journal of Organic Chemistry |
| 1959 |
The Rogers Adams Award is established and Sir Derek H. R. Barton is the first recipient |
| 1973 |
The first Arthur C. Cope Award was made to Roald Hoffmann and Robert B. Woodward |
| 1981 |
The Graduate Fellowship Program was initiated |
| 1985 |
ORGN starts to distribute Organic Syntheses (with Vol. 62) free to its members |
| 1986 |
The Arthur C. Cope Scholar Awards Program was initiated |
| 1989 |
The Division partnered with Johnson & Johnson to start a travel awards program to support Outstanding Students and Faculty at Undergraduate Institutions to attend the ACS National and NOS meetings |
| 1990 |
Received the ACS Award for Outstanding Performance by Divisions in recognition of its service to its members and its meritous contributions to the profession and the public understanding of chemistry. |
| 1992 |
The Technical Achievement Award in Organic Chemistry (TAOC) Program was initiated |
| 1994 |
With financial help from Bayer, the Gassman Award program was started and the first award was given to Nelson Leonard |
| 1995 |
The Leete award was endowed and David N. Harpp is the first recipient |
| 1999 |
Organic Letters debuts at the 36th NOS with Amos B. Smith, III as editor-in-chief |
| 2007 |
The Gassman Award was endowed by Midwest Pharmaceuticals |
| 2008 |
ORGN Holds Electronic Elections for the first time |
| 2008 |
ORGN Celebrates its Centennial at the 236th National ACS Meeting with a Symposium Dedicated to the history of organic chemistry |
| 2009 |
ORGN Awards Summer Undergradaute Research Fellowships (SURF) for the first time |
| 2009 |
ORGN forms a partnership with the Reaction Mechanisms Conference (RMC) |
| 2009 |
43 members of the Division of Organic Chemistry, were selected as Inaugural ACS Fellows |
| 2010 |
ORGN redesigns its website and adds a members only area |
| 2010 |
ORGN hold its First Graduate Research Symposium (GRS) at Boston College |
| 2013 |
ORGN partners with Jeff Seeman for second time to provide a second series of Eminent Organic Chemist Videos |
| 2013 |
ORGN Creates the Undergraduate Award Program to recognize senior students |
Past Presidents of ACS who were affiliated with ORGN
- 2005 William F. Carroll, Jr. (1952 - )
- 2004 Chuck Casey (1942- ) - Received a Cope Scholar Award in 1988
- 1999 Edel Wasserman (1932- ) - ORGN Councilor 1983-88
- 1997 Paul S. Anderson (1938- )
- 1996 Ronald Breslow (1931- ) - recipient of Gassman Award in 2006
- 1992 Ernest L. Eliel (1921- 2008) - ORGN Chair 1974
- 1990 Paul G. Gassman (1935-1994) - ORGN Councilor 1983-88, ORGN Chair 1981
- 1961 Arthur C. Cope (1909-1966) - ORGN Secretary 1940-44, ORGN Chair 1947
- 1947 W. Albert Noyes, Jr. (1898-1980)
- 1945 Carl S. Marvel (1894-1988) - ORGN Chairman 1933
- 1941 William Lloyd Evans (1870-1954) - ORGN Chair 1928
- 1938 Frank C. Whitmore (1887-1947) - ORGN Secretary 1925-29, ORGN Chair 1930
- 1935 Roger Adams (1889-1971) - ORGN Chair 1921
- 1931 Moses Gomberg (1866-1947)
- 1926 James F. Norris (1871-1940)
- 1925 James F. Norris (1871-1940)
- 1923 Edward C. Franklin (1862-1937) - founded ORGN 1908, Chair 1929
- 1920 William A. Noyes (1857-1941)
Chairs of ORGN
| 1910 |
Edward C. Franklin |
| 1911 |
George B. Frankforter |
| 1912-13 |
Treat B. Johnson |
| 1914-15 |
F.F. Allen |
| 1916 |
C. G. Derick |
| 1917 |
J. R. Bailey |
| 1918 |
William J. Hale |
| 1919 |
L. W. Jones |
| 1920 |
E. Emmett Reid |
| 1921 |
Roger Adams |
| 1922 |
Hans T. Clarke |
| 1923 |
Frank C. Whitmore |
| 1924 |
R. R. Renshaw |
| 1925 |
Julius A. Nieuwland |
| 1926 |
Marston T. Bogert |
| 1927 |
Frank B. Dains |
| 1928 |
William Lloyd Evans |
| 1929 |
Edward C. Franklin |
| 1930 |
Frank C. Whitmore |
| 1931 |
James B. Conant |
| 1932 |
Homer Adkins |
| 1933 |
Carl S. Marvel |
| 1934 |
Claude S. Hudson |
| 1935 |
Arthur J. Hill |
| 1936 |
Henry Gilman |
| 1937 |
L. Charles Raiford |
| 1938 |
Lyndon F. Small |
| 1939 |
Werner E. Bachmann |
| 1940 |
Cliff S. Hamilton |
| 1941 |
Nathan L. Drake |
| 1942 |
Lee I. Smith |
| 1943 |
Louis F. Fieser |
| 1944 |
Ralph L. Shriner |
| 1945-46 |
Samuel M. McElvain |
| 1947 |
Arthur C. Cope |
|
| 1948 |
Paul D. Bartlett |
| 1949 |
William G. Young |
| 1950 |
Ralph W. Bost |
| 1951 |
William S. Johnson |
| 1952 |
Robert C. Elderfield |
| 1953 |
Walter N. Lauer |
| 1954 |
Max Tishler |
| 1955 |
A. Harold Blatt |
| 1956 |
Nelson J. Leonard |
| 1957 |
John D. Roberts |
| 1958 |
Melvin S. Newman |
| 1959 |
Karl A. Folkers |
| 1960 |
John C. Sheehan |
| 1961 |
William E. Parham |
| 1962 |
Stanley J. Cristol |
| 1963 |
William G. Dauben |
| 1964 |
Delos F. De Tar |
| 1965 |
Theodore L. Cairns |
| 1966 |
Herbert O. House |
| 1967 |
Gilbert J. Stork |
| 1968 |
Harry H. Wasserman |
| 1969 |
Jerrold Meinwald |
| 1970 |
Frederick G. Bordwell |
| 1971 |
Ronald Breslow |
| 1972 |
Jerome A. Berson |
| 1973 |
Andrew Streitwieser, Jr. |
| 1974 |
Ernest L. Eliel |
| 1975 |
Jeremiah P. Freeman |
| 1976 |
Howard E. Simmons, Jr. |
| 1977 |
E. C. Taylor |
| 1978 |
Harold Hart |
| 1979 |
Andrew Kende |
| 1980 |
Robert Ireland |
| 1981 |
Paul Gassman |
| 1982 |
Al Meyers |
|
| 1983 |
J. C. Martin |
| 1984 |
Peter Beak |
| 1985 |
Clayton Heathcock |
| 1986 |
Albert Padwa |
| 1987 |
Carl R. Johnson |
| 1988 |
Martin Semmelhack |
| 1989 |
Patrick Confalone |
| 1990 |
Victor Snieckus |
| 1991 |
Joseph Gajewski |
| 1992 |
James Marshall |
| 1993 |
Michael Doyle |
| 1994 |
Frank Davis |
| 1995 |
William Roush |
| 1996 |
Amos Smith |
| 1997 |
Cynthia Maryanoff |
| 1998 |
Dale Poulter |
| 1999 |
Ross Johnson |
| 2000 |
Dennis Curran |
| 2001 |
Robert Boeckman |
| 2002 |
William Nugent |
| 2003 |
Edwin Vedejs |
| 2004 |
William Greenlee |
| 2005 |
Huw Davies |
| 2006 |
Kathy Parker |
| 2007 |
Barry Snider |
| 2008 |
Robert Volkmann |
| 2009 |
Lisa McElwee-White |
| 2010 |
P. Andrew Evans |
| 2011 |
Gary Molander |
| 2012 |
Robert Larsen |
| 2013 |
Lawrence T. Scott |
|
Secretary-Treasurers of ORGN
| 1909 - 10 |
R. H. McKee* |
| 1911 - 13 |
William J. Hale* |
| 1914 - 15 |
C. G. Derick* |
| 1916 - 19 |
Harry L. Fisher* |
| 1920 |
Roger Adams* |
| 1921 |
H. T. Clarke* |
| 1922 |
Frank C. Whitmore* |
| 1923 |
R. R. Renshaw* |
| 1924 |
J. A. Nieuwland* |
| 1925 - 29 |
Frank C. Whitmore* |
| 1930 - 34 |
Julian Hill* |
| 1935 - 39 |
Ralph Shriner* |
| 1940 - 44 |
Arthur C. Cope* |
| 1945 - 49 |
Ralph Bost* |
| 1950 - 54 |
Nelson J. Leonard* |
| 1954 - 59 |
William Parham* |
| 1960 - 64 |
Herbert O. House* |
| 1965 - 69 |
Norman A. LeBel* |
| 1970 - 73 |
Jeremiah Freeman* |
| 1974 - 77 |
E. M. Burgess* |
| 1978 - 81 |
Peter Beak* |
| 1981 - 85 |
Walter Trahanovsky* |
| 1986 - 89 |
Joseph Gajewski* |
| 1990 - 93 |
William Roush |
| 1994 - 96 |
Dennis Liotta |
| 1997 - 01 |
Alan Marchand |
| 2002 - 05 |
James Rigby |
| 2006 - 09 |
Gary Molander |
| 2010 - |
Marisa Kozlowski |
* Also served concurrently as Program Chair
Program Chairs of ORGN
| 1988 - 91 |
Frank Davis |
| 1992 - 95 |
Dan Pasto |
| 1996 - 99 |
Stan Hall |
| 2000 - 03 |
Lisa McElwee-White |
| 2004 - 06 |
Rob Larsen |
| 2007 - 08 |
William Greenlee |
| 2009 - 10 |
Scott Sieburth |
| 2011 - 12 |
Ahmed Abdel-Magid |
| 2013 - 14 |
Bob Gawley |
Membership
| Year |
Membership Size |
| 1921 |
306 |
| 1936 |
397 |
| 1937 |
430 |
| 1938 |
444 |
| 1939 |
441 |
| 1940 |
555 |
| 1941 |
565 |
| 1942 |
673 |
| 1943 |
679 |
| 1944 |
756 |
| 1945 |
715 |
| 1946 |
787 |
| 1947 |
1,002 |
| 1948 |
1,014 |
| 2010 |
16,800 |
ORGN Archives Available at the Chemical Heritage Foundation
The Division of Organic Chemistry (ORGN) archives have been transferred to the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF). These archives currently cover the period from 1935 until 1983. Highlights include scrap books containing forms, reports, memos and other divisional documents kept by six secretary-treasurers covering a 30 year period from 1934 to 1964: Ralph L. Shriner (1934-39), Arthur C. Cope (1939-1944), Ralph W. Bost (1944-1949), Nelson J. Leonard (1950-1954), William E. Parham (1954-1959) and Herbert O. House (1959-1964). The archives also contain records of the National Organic Symposium from 1937-1983 and many other documents related to the functioning of the division. A finding aid provides more details. Please contact the secretary-treasurer, if you have records or papers that you would like to transfer to the archives so they will be accessible to those interested in the activities of ORGN.
