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Archives/History

Founding

The ACS Organic Chemistry Division (ORGN) was established in 1908 (chaired by Edward Curtis Franklin).

Picture of the Founder of ORGN: Franklin
Edward Curtis Franklin
(1862 - 1937)

Historical Events of the Division

1908The ACS Organic Chemistry Division is founded with Edward Curtis Franklin as the first Chair
1925The First National Symposium on Organic Chemistry (NOS) was held in Rochester, N. Y.
1927The Second National Symposium on Organic Chemistry was held in Columbus, Ohio
1959The Rogers Adams Award is established and Sir Derek H. R. Barton is the first recipient
1973The first Arthur C. Cope Award was made to Roald Hoffmann and Robert B. Woodward
1981The Graduate Fellowship Program was initiated
1985ORGN starts to distribute Organic Syntheses (with Vol. 62) free to its members
1986The Arthur C. Cope Scholar Awards Program was initiated
1990Received 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.
1992The Technical Achievement Award in Organic Chemistry (TAOC) Program was initiated
1994With financial help from Bayer, the Gassman Award program was started and the first award was given to Nelson Leonard
1995The Leete award was endowed and David N. Harpp is the first recipient
2007The Gassman Award was endowed by Midwest Pharmaceuticals
2008ORGN Holds Electronic Elections for the first time
2008ORGN Celebrates its Centennial at the 236th National ACS Meeting with a Symposium Dedicated to the history of organic chemistry
2009ORGN Awards Summer Undergradaute Research Fellowships (SURF) for the first time
200943 members of the Division of Organic Chemistry, were selected as Inaugural ACS Fellows
2010The Division redesigns its website and adds a members only area
2010The Graduate Research Symposium is held at Boston College

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- ) - 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

1910Edward C. Franklin
1911George B. Frankforter
1912-13Treat B. Johnson
1914-15F.F. Allen
1916C. G. Derick
1917J. R. Bailey
1918William J. Hale
1919L. W. Jones
1920E. Emmett Reid
1921Roger Adams
1922Hans T. Clarke
1923Frank C. Whitmore
1924R. R. Renshaw
1925Julius A. Nieuwland
1926Marston T. Bogert
1927Frank B. Dains
1928William Lloyd Evans
1929Edward C. Franklin
1930Frank C. Whitmore
1931James B. Conant
1932Homer Adkins
1933Carl S. Marvel
1934Claude S. Hudson
1935Arthur J. Hill
1936Henry Gilman
1937L. Charles Raiford
1938Lyndon F. Small
1939Werner E. Bachmann
1940Cliff S. Hamilton
1941Nathan L. Drake
1942Lee I. Smith
1943Louis F. Fieser
1944Ralph L. Shriner
1945-46Samuel M. McElvain
1947Arthur C. Cope
1948Paul D. Bartlett
1949William G. Young
1950Ralph W. Bost
1951William S. Johnson
1952Robert C. Elderfield
1953Walter N. Lauer
1954Max Tishler
1955A. Harold Blatt
1956Nelson J. Leonard
1957John D. Roberts
1958Melvin S. Newman
1959Karl A. Folkers
1960John C. Sheehan
1961William E. Parham
1962Stanley J. Cristol
1963William G. Dauben
1964Delos F. De Tar
1965Theodore L. Cairns
1966Herbert O. House
1967Gilbert J. Stork
1968Harry H. Wasserman
1969Jerrold Meinwald
1970Frederick G. Bordwell
1971Ronald Breslow
1972Jerome A. Berson
1973Andrew Streitwieser, Jr.
1974Ernest L. Eliel
1975Jeremiah P. Freeman
1976Howard E. Simmons, Jr.
1977E. C. Taylor
1978Harold Hart
1979Andrew Kende
1980Robert Ireland
1981Paul Gassman
1982Al Meyers
1983J. C. Martin
1984Peter Beak
1985Clayton Heathcock
1986Albert Padwa
1987Carl R. Johnson
1988Martin Semmelhack
1989Patrick Confalone
1990Victor Snieckus
1991Joseph Gajewski
1992James Marshall
1993Michael Doyle
1994Frank Davis
1995William Roush
1996Amos Smith
1997Cynthia Maryanoff
1998Dale Poulter
1999Ross Johnson
2000Dennis Curran
2001Robert Boeckman
2002William Nugent
2003Edwin Vedejs
2004William Greenlee
2005Huw Davies
2006Kathy Parker
2007Barry Snider
2008Robert Volkmann
2009Lisa McElwee-White
2010P. Andrew Evans

Secretary-Treasurers of ORGN

1925 - 29Frank C. Whitmore*
1930 - 34Julian Hill*
1935 - 39Ralph Shriner*
1940 - 44Arthur C. Cope*
1945 - 49Ralph Bost*
1950 - 54Nelson J. Leonard*
1954 - 59William Parham*
1960 - 64Herbert O. House*
1965 - 69Norman A. LeBel*
1970 - 73Jeremiah Freeman*
1974 - 77E. M. Burgess*
1978 - 81Peter Beak*
1981 - 85Walter Trahanovsky*
1986 - 89Joseph Gajewski*
1990 - 93William Roush
1994 - 96Dennis Liotta
1997 - 01Alan Marchand
2002 - 05James Rigby
2006 - 09Gary Molander
2010 -Marisa Kozlowski

* Also served concurrently as Program Chair

Program Chairs of ORGN

1988 - 91Frank Davis
1992 - 95Dan Pasto
1996 - 99Stan Hall
2000 - 03Lisa McElwee-White
2004 - 06Rob Larsen
2006 - 07William Greenlee
2008 - 10Scott Sieburth

Membership

Year Membership Size
1936397
1937430
1938444
1939441
1940555
1941565
1942673
1943679
1944756
1945715
1946787
19471,002
19481,014
201016,800

ORGN Will archive historical documents with CHF

At the ORGN Executive Committee meeting on Sunday 8/17/2008 a motion was approved a deed of gift to the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) for the Division of Organic Chemistry archives. If you feel that you have records or papers that might be included in the archives or a significant collection of materials, please contact the secretary treasurer. Eventually, we hope to list all the items that are sent to the archives on this website.