Dr. Charles Lee Reese (November 4, 1862 – April 12, 1940) 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 Chemical Director of

DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

serving from 1911 to 1924.

Early life

Dr. Reese was born in

Baltimore, MD Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1862. He attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

for his undergraduate career. Upon graduation he was admitted to the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

Heidelberg, Germany Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

in 1884. While attending Heidelberg he was a student of

Robert Bunsen Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen (; 30 March 1811 – 16 August 1899) was a German chemist. He investigated emission spectra of heated elements, and discovered caesium (in 1860) and rubidium (in 1861) with the physicist Gustav Kirchhoff. The Bu ...

. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1886.

Academic career

Dr. Reese's undergraduate degree was granted by the University of Virginia in 1884. He moved to Germany for his graduate studies. A student of

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

and

Viktor Meyer Viktor Meyer (8 September 18488 August 1897) was a German chemist and significant contributor to both organic and inorganic chemistry. He is best known for inventing an apparatus for determining vapour densities, the Viktor Meyer apparatus, and ...

at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

, Dr. Reese completed his PhD in 1886. Dr. Reese returned to the United States and took a position as an Assistant in Chemistry at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

which he held until 1888. After a brief tenure as Professor of Chemistry at

Wake Forest College Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

, he became a Professor at

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. ...

where he taught for 8 years. He returned to teach at Hopkins for another 4 years until turning to

Industrial Chemistry The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals) into more than 70,000 different products. The ...

in 1900.

Industrial Career and DuPont

In 1900, Dr. Reese took a position as Chief Chemist at

The New Jersey Zinc Company The Horsehead Holding Corporation, formerly The New Jersey Zinc Company, was an American producer of zinc and related materials based in Pittsburgh. The operations of the historic company are currently conducted as American Zinc Recycling. The ...

. While there, he focused primarily on the contact process of sulfuric acid, developing it to a satisfactory working basis. As a result he drew the attention of the DuPont Company in 1902 and was appointed Chief Chemist. He established the Eastern Laboratory and was made Director. In 1906 he was placed in direct control of the Chemical Division of the High Explosives Operative Department. Promoted to Chemical Director of DuPont in 1911, he oversaw the development of new processes for creating raw materials needed for military explosives 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 ...

. During his tenure with DuPont, Dr. Reese was an instrumental player in the development of Research and Development practices at the company. Under his command as Chemical Director multiple labs were centralized and organized into a two prong strategy. Eastern Laboratory (Reese's original posting within DuPont) would focus on short term projects which could rapidly respond (and profit) to the demands of the market. In contrast, the Experimental Station would focus on long term, potentially risky projects. He defended the lack of immediate profitability by the Experimental Station, claiming it brought "enormous, though intangible, rewards" to DuPont. This belief lead to his decision regarding "complete and detailed" information on smokeless powder and refusal to break apart the research labs, despite pressure from Congress and the Company.

Within months of Reese's report, World War I began, and this decision proved to be an enormous boon to the Du Pont Company. The cash generated by Du Pont's smokeless powder sales during the war would create the capital necessary for the company's ventures into other product lines, thus providing the basis for Du Pont's rise as a giant, diversified company. (pg.61)

Dr. Reese retired from the Board of DuPont on January 1, 1931.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reese, Charles American chemists DuPont people 1862 births 1940 deaths University of Virginia alumni University of Göttingen alumni American expatriates in Germany Johns Hopkins University faculty The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina faculty