Edwin Theodore Mertz (December 6, 1909 – February 1, 1999) 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

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

. Mertz was noted for co-discovery of high-

lysine Lysine (symbol Lys or K) is an α-amino acid that is a precursor to many proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated form under biological conditions), an α-carboxylic acid group (which is in the deprotonated −C ...

corn which significantly increased protein levels in corn and beans.

Life and career

* 1909 born in Missoula, Montana * 1931 B.A with a double major in chemistry and mathematics from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

* 1933 M.S. from the

University of Illinois, Urbana The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign, Illinois, Champai ...

* 1935 Ph.D. from the University of Illinois * 1935-1937 a research biochemist at

Armour and Company Armour & Company was an American company and was one of the five leading firms in the meat packing industry. It was founded in Chicago, in 1867, by the Armour brothers led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company had become Chicago's most ...

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

* 1937-1938 an instructor in biochemistry at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

* 1937 married Mary Ellen Ruskamp * 1938-1940 a research associate in pathology at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

's medical school * 1940-1943 an instructor in agricultural chemistry at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

* 1943-1946 a research chemist in an explosives manufacturing factory at

Hercules Powder Company Hercules, Inc. was a chemical and munitions manufacturing company based in Wilmington, Delaware, United States, incorporated in 1912 as the Hercules Powder Company following the breakup of the DuPont explosives monopoly by the U.S. Circuit ...

* 1946-1950 an assistant professor of agricultural chemistry at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

* 1950-1957 an associate professor of biochemistry at Purdue University * 1957 a professor of biochemistry at Purdue University * professor emeritus at Purdue University until his death in 1999 * 1975 elected to the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

* 1999 death from complications of pneumonia

Honors and awards

Mertz was a member of the

and a recipient of the following awards and distinctions: *1987 Richard Newbury McCoy Award from

*1967 John Scott Award in from the

City of Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

*1968 Hoblitzelle National Award in the Agricultural Sciences (Texas) *1968 Congressional Medal of the Federal Land Banks in for the discovery of high-lysine corn *1970 Kenneth A Spencer award from the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...

*1972 Osborne-Mendell Award from the American Institute of Nutrition *1973 Distinguished Service Award from the

*1974 Edward W. Browning Award in for "outstanding contributions to mankind in the improvement of the food supply" *1975 Honorary Master Farmer Award of the Prairie Farmer Magazine "for leadership and distinguished service to American Agriculture" *1975 Elected to the National Academy of Sciences *1976

Chemical Pioneer Award The Chemical Pioneer Award, established in 1966, is awarded by the American Institute of Chemists to recognize chemists or chemical engineers who have made outstanding contributions to advances in chemistry or the chemical profession. Recent rec ...

from the

American Institute of Chemists The American Institute of Chemists (AIC) is an organization founded in 1923 with the goal of advancing the chemistry profession in the United States. The institute is known for its yearly awards recognizing contributions of individuals in this fie ...

Purdue University has established the Edwin T. Mertz Memorial Scholarship in his name.

References

External links

John E. Halver, "Edwin Theodore Mertz", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (2004)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mertz 1909 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American biochemists Purdue University faculty University of Illinois alumni University of Montana alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences People from Missoula, Montana