J. Frank Schairer (13 April 1904, in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

– 19 September 1970, near Point No Point, Maryland) was an American

geochemist Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the ...

mineralogist Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

, and

petrologist Petrology () is the branch of geology that studies rocks and the conditions under which they form. Petrology has three subdivisions: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary petrology. Igneous and metamorphic petrology are commonly taught together ...

. Schairer studied chemistry at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

with a bachelor's degree in 1925 and a doctorate in 1928. He was the president and one of the organizers of the undergraduate club "Yale Mineralogical Society" in 1923. In addition, he earned an M.S. in mineralogy. From 1927, he was a chemist at the

Carnegie Institution The Carnegie Institution of Washington (the organization's legal name), known also for public purposes as the Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS), is an organization in the United States established to fund and perform scientific research. Th ...

Geophysical Laboratory in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

where he remained on the staff until mandatory retirement in 1969, when he became a part-time employee. He worked there with

Norman L. Bowen Norman Levi Bowen FRS (June 21, 1887 – September 11, 1956) was a Canadian geologist. Bowen "revolutionized experimental petrology and our understanding of mineral crystallization". Beginning geology students are familiar with Bowen's reaction s ...

in experimental petrology until Bowen's departure to the University Chicago in 1937. During World War II, the lab worked on military research (erosion in cannon and machine gun barrels). From the 1950s Schairer worked with Hatten Schuyler Yoder and

Cecil Edgar Tilley Cecil Edgar Tilley FRS Hon FRSE PGS (14 May 1894 – 24 January 1973) was an Australian-British petrologist and geologist. Life He was born in Unley, Adelaide, the youngest child of John Thomas Edward Tilley, a civil engineer from London, a ...

on basalt fusions. Schairer served from 1957 to 1960 as vice president of the

International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior The International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) is a learned society that focuses on research in volcanology, efforts to mitigate volcanic disasters, and research into closely related disciplines, such a ...

, in 1944, vice president of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchco ...

, in 1960 president of the

Geochemical Society The Geochemical Society is a nonprofit scientific organization founded to encourage the application of chemistry to solve problems involving geology and cosmology. The society promotes understanding of geochemistry through the annual Goldschmidt Co ...

and in 1943 president of the

Mineralogical Society of America The Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) is a scientific membership organization. MSA was founded in 1919 for the advancement of mineralogy, crystallography, geochemistry, and petrology, and promotion of their uses in other sciences, industry, ...

. He was also an accomplished botanist and co-founder of the National Capital Orchid Society (1947). He married in 1940 and upon his death was survived by his widow, two children (twins), and four grandchildren.

Honors and memberships

Schairer was elected in 1953 a member of 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 ...

and in 1968 an honorary member of the ''Deutsche Mineralogische Gesellschaft'' (German Mineralogical Society). He received in 1953 the

Arthur L. Day Medal The Arthur L. Day Medal is a prize awarded by the Geological Society of America, established in 1948 by Arthur Louis Day for "outstanding distinction in contributing to geologic knowledge through the application of physics and chemistry to the so ...

and in 1963 the

Roebling Medal The Roebling Medal is the highest award of the Mineralogical Society of America for scientific eminence as represented primarily by scientific publication of outstanding original research in mineralogy. The award is named for Colonel Washington A ...

. In 2012 he was inducted into the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

Hall of Fame for his extensive work in marking (under his leadership over 260 miles from 1928 to 1932 through the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club founded by him). A mineral described by William F. Foshag in 1931 received the name schairerite in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schairer, John Frank American mineralogists Petrologists American geochemists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences 1904 births 1970 deaths Yale University alumni Presidents of the Geochemical Society 20th-century American chemists