William McMurtrie (March 10, 1851 – May 24, 1913) 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 t ...
. His work helped launch the sugar beet industry in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
Life and career
Born on a farm near
Belvidere, New Jersey
Belvidere is a town in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the town's population was 2,681, the son of Abram McMurtrie and Almira Smith, William matriculated to
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...
where he graduated with a mining engineer degree in 1871—the school did not then offer a degree program in chemistry, his primary interest. He undertook graduate studies at the College during 1871–1872 and was appointed as an assistant chemist with the
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
. In 1873, he was named Chief Chemist for the department; a post he held until 1878. He was awarded a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
from Lafayette in 1875—the first doctorate in chemistry awarded at the school. On April 5, 1876 he was married to Helen Douglass and the couple had two children.
Dr. McMurtrie traveled to the Paris Exposition in 1878 as representative of the Department of Agriculture. He became a special agent of the Department in 1879, collecting information regarding agricultural technology. The following year, he served as a representative for the commissioner of agriculture at an international exhibit in Philadelphia for sheep, wool, and wool products. Published in 1880, his ''Report on the culture of the sugar beet and the manufacture of sugar therefrom in France and the United States'' helped to launch the sugar beet industry in the United States.
From 1882 until 1888, Dr. McMurtrie was professor of chemistry 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 Univer ...
. In 1884, he was named chemist for the Illinois State Board of Agriculture, then become chemist for the Illinois Agricultural Station in 1886. He entered the commercial sphere in 1888 when he moved to New York to work as chemist for the
New York Tartar Company
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
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 ...
in 1900. He served as a trustee for Lafayette College from 1906 until 1912. During his career he was the author of numerous reports prepared for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
He died in New York City on May 24, 1913, and was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.