Charles Lee Reese

Charles Lee Reese (November 4, 1862 – April 12, 1940) was an American chemist and chemical director of DuPont serving from 1911 to 1924.

Early life Reese was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1862. He attended the University of Virginia for his undergraduate career. Upon graduation he was admitted to the University of Heidelberg in Heidelberg, Germany in 1884.

Industrial career and DuPont

In 1900, Reese took a position as chief chemist at The New Jersey Zinc Company. While there, he focused primarily on the contact process of sulfuric acid, developing it to a satisfactory working basis. As a result he drew the attention of the DuPont Company in 1902 and was appointed chief chemist. He established the Eastern Laboratory and was made director. In 1906 he was placed in direct control of the chemical division of the high explosives operative department. Promoted to chemical director of DuPont in 1911, he oversaw the development of new processes for creating raw materials needed for military explosives in World War I.

During his tenure with DuPont, Reese was an instrumental player in the development of research and development practices at the company. Under his command as chemical director, multiple labs were centralized and organized into a two-prong strategy. Eastern Laboratory (Reese's original posting within DuPont) would focus on short term projects which could rapidly respond (and profit) to the demands of the market. In contrast, the Experimental Station would focus on long term, potentially risky projects. He defended the lack of immediate profitability by the Experimental Station, claiming it brought "enormous, though intangible, rewards" to DuPont. This belief lead to his decision regarding "complete and detailed" information on smokeless powder and refusal to break apart the research labs, despite pressure from Congress and the company.

Within months of Reese's report, World War I began, and this decision proved to be an enormous boon to the Du Pont Company. The cash generated by Du Pont's smokeless powder sales during the war would create the capital necessary for the company's ventures into other product lines, thus providing the basis for Du Pont's rise as a giant, diversified company. (pg.61)

Reese retired from the board of DuPont on January 1, 1931.