Charles Lathrop Parsons

Charles Lathrop Parsons (March 23, 1867, New Marlboro, Massachusetts-February 13, 1954 Pocasset, Massachusetts) was an American chemist. He was a professor at the University of New Hampshire for twenty years, and then a chemist and mineralogist at the U.S. Bureau of Mines. For nearly forty years, Parsons served as executive secretary of the American Chemical Society, becoming known as "Mr. ACS" and substantially influencing the formation of the association.

Education Charles Lathrop Parsons was born on March 23, 1867, in New Marlboro, Massachusetts, to Benjamin Franklin and Leonora Frances (Bartlett) Parsons. Parsons attended Cushing Academy, graduating in 1885.

Career University of New Hampshire After graduation, Parsons worked briefly as assistant chemist at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station in Hanover, New Hampshire. He was the author of The Chemistry and Literature of Beryllium (1909), of Fuller's Earth (1913), and other titles. He was recognized for his work on beryllium, for which he won the William H. Nichols Medal in 1905.

U.S. Bureau of Mines On September 1, 1912, Parsons became the chief mineral chemist at the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Washington, D.C.

Awards and honors In 1911, Parsons received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Maine. In 1926, he was named an honorary member of the Romanian Chemical Society and a life member of the Société chimique de France. In 1931 he became an honorary member of the Society of Chemical Industry of Great Britain. In 1948, he became an honorary member of the American Institute of Chemists, and an honorary member of the Chemists' Club in New York.

The Charles Lathrop Parsons Award of the American Chemical Society is named in his honor and was first presented, to him, in 1952. It is awarded to members of the ACS for public service in the field of chemistry.