Joseph Regenstein (1889 – 1957) was probably the son of Martin R. (* 1874 in Pasing near Munich – 1909 in Chicago) and Theodore Regensteiners nephew.Gudrun Azar et al. 'Ins Licht gerückt. Jüdische Lebenswege im Münchner Westen'. München 2008, page 159-160 He was an American industrialist whose philanthropy benefited the city of

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

, especially the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

, where the

Regenstein Library The Joseph Regenstein Library, commonly known as "The Reg" is the main library of the University of Chicago, named after industrialist and philanthropist Joseph Regenstein. It is one of the largest repositories of books in the world and is noted ...

is named in his memory. As head of Arvey Corp., Regenstein made many innovations in the paper, plastic and chemical fields. In 1931, Regenstein formed a business with his cousin, Julius Hyman, the

Velsicol Chemical Corporation Velsicol Chemical Corporation is an American chemical company based in Rosemont, Illinois that specializes in chemical intermediates for applications such as agrochemicals. It was founded in 1931 by Joseph Regenstein and Julius Hyman. Histo ...

that manufactured several chlorinated insecticides including Dieldrin,

Aldrin Aldrin is an organochlorine insecticide that was widely used until the 1990s, when it was banned in most countries. Aldrin is a member of the so-called "classic organochlorines" (COC) group of pesticides. COCs enjoyed a very sharp rise in popular ...

Chlordane Chlordane, or chlordan, is an organochlorine compound that was used as a pesticide. It is a white solid. In the United States, chlordane was used for termite-treatment of approximately 30 million homes until it was banned in 1988. Chlordane was ...

and

Heptachlor Heptachlor is an organochlorine compound that was used as an insecticide. Usually sold as a white or tan powder, heptachlor is one of the cyclodiene insecticides. In 1962, Rachel Carson's ''Silent Spring'' questioned the safety of heptachlor and ...

which were the focus of

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose influential book '' Silent Spring'' (1962) and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental ...

's book ''

Silent Spring ''Silent Spring'' is an environmental science book by Rachel Carson. Published on September 27, 1962, the book documented the environmental harm caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading d ...

''. Regenstein and Hyman would later fall out when Hyman set up an independent business in Colorado to manufacture insecticides at the

Rocky Mountain Arsenal The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was a United States chemical weapons manufacturing center located in the Denver Metropolitan Area in Commerce City, Colorado. The site was completed December 1942, operated by the United States Army throughout the late ...

. Numerous lawsuits followed. Regenstein maintained an intense interest in the development of Chicago and its institutions. To honor him, the Joseph and Helen Regenstein Foundation, on November 9, 1965, gave $10,000,000 toward the new graduate research library at University of Chicago. His son Joseph Regenstein Jr was a life trustee of the university until his death on March 4, 1999, at age 75.

Literature

* Gudrun Azar et al. 'Ins Licht gerückt. Jüdische Lebenswege im Münchner Westen'. München 2008, 159–160, Herbert Utz Verlag, (Katalog der gleichnamigen Ausstellung in der Pasinger Fabrik, 10. April bis 25. Mai 2008).

Link

* Theodore Regensteiner
Regensteiner-Linde in Pasing
''Helenes Linde'' Sueddeutsche Zeitung * Automobilwerk Pasing Siegfried Regensteiner

References

The Joseph Regenstein Library Building
1889 births 1957 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century philanthropists {{Philanthropist-stub