Charles Frederick Burgess (January 5, 1873 – February 13, 1945) was an American

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

. He was founder of the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

department of Chemical Engineering in 1905, and was a pioneer in the development of electrochemical engineering. In 1917 he founded the

Burgess Battery Company The Burgess Battery Company was a Wisconsin-based battery manufacturer that operated from 1917 until 1989. It was founded by University of Wisconsin professor Charles F. Burgess. During founder's lifetime The Burgess Battery Company (Burges ...

Early life

Charles Frederick Burgess was born on January 5, 1873, in Oshkosh,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He attended local schools in Oshkosh. He received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in electrical engineering from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in 1895. He got an advanced degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1898.

Career

Burgess joined the University of Wisconsin as instructor of

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

in 1895. He later became an assistant professor. In 1900, he became professor of applied electrochemistry and chemical engineering. Of an inventive turn of mind, he developed several new processes in

electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of elements from n ...

, and in 1904 was made investigator of electrolytic iron alloys for the Carnegie Institute. In 1910, he helped found the Northern Chemical Engineering Laboratories, which was later renamed to C. F. Burgess Laboratories. He also served as president. In 1910, he wrote “The Strength of the Alloys of Nickel and Copper with Electrolytic Iron.” In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Burgess was a district draft board member for southern Wisconsin. He became an engineering consultant and later a board member of the French Battery Company in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, which produced dry cells to his design used by the US Army in World War I. In 1913 he resigned from the university. His relationship with the French Battery Company deteriorated, and so in 1917 he founded the Burgess Battery Company in Madison, which became an important manufacturer of

dry cell upLine art drawing of a dry cell: 1. brass cap, 2. plastic seal, 3. expansion space, 4. porous cardboard, 5. zinc can, 6. carbon rod, 7. chemical mixture A dry cell is a type of electric battery, commonly used for portable electrical devices. Un ...

batteries for

flashlight A flashlight ( US, Canada) or torch ( UK, Australia) is a portable hand-held electric lamp. Formerly, the light source typically was a miniature incandescent light bulb, but these have been displaced by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) since the ...

s, radio, and other applications. He served as president and chairman of Burgess Battery. Dissatisfied with taxes in

, beginning in 1926 he moved himself and his enterprises out of the state. He went to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and Burgess Battery Company went to Freeport, Illinois. Burgess Laboratories was reincorporated under

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

laws. In 1930, he was elected to the board of directors of the Wisconsin Bankshares Corporation.

Personal life

Burgess married Ida M. Jackson of

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

on June 23, 1905. Together, they had two children, Jackson and Betty.

Death

Burgess died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

at a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

hospital on February 13, 1945. He was interred at Riverside Cemetery in Oshkosh.

Awards

* 1926,

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

honorary degree from the University of Wisconsin * 1932, Perkin Medal by the

Society of Chemical Industry The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) is a learned society set up in 1881 "to further the application of chemistry and related sciences for the public benefit". Offices The society's headquarters is in Belgrave Square, London. There are semi-in ...

* 1942, Acheson Award by the

Electrochemical Society The Electrochemical Society is a learned society (professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of electrochemistry and solid-state science and related technology. The Society membership compris ...

* 1944, honorary degree in engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology

Notes

References

* * *

External links

*
Charles Burgess at U Wisc.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, Charles Frederick 1873 births 1945 deaths People from Oshkosh, Wisconsin American chemists 20th-century American engineers University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Presidents of the Electrochemical Society