Robert Boyer

Robert Allen Boyer (September 30, 1909 – November 11, 1989) was an American chemist employed by Henry Ford who was proficient at inventing ways to convert soybeans into paints and plastic parts used on Ford automobiles. He is also the inventor of the world's first plant protein fiber.

Biography Born on September 30, 1909, in Toledo, Ohio, Robert Boyer first met Henry Ford at one of his frequent visits to the nation's oldest hotel, the Wayside Inn, in South Sudbury, Massachusetts, where his father, Earl Joseph Boyer, was employed by Ford. Ford claimed that the young Boyer had a “keen active mind” and was asked by Ford to enroll in the new Henry Ford Trade School and participate in its unique work-study program instead of following his plans to enter Andover Prep School and then Dartmouth College. This new plastic body cut the total weight of the car from 3,000 to 2,000 pounds. The sheets had an appearance similar to polished steel, and could be bent but just snapped back into place, therefore when caught in fender benders, the fender would bounce back like “rubber balls”. This product is considered a breakthrough in the world of automobile production.

Boyer also used the soy isolates to produce the world's first plant protein fiber in 1938. This fiber resembled a soft wool, was tan in color, had a medium luster and a soft warm feel. It was advertised as “it has 80% the strength of wool, took the same dyes, had good elongation, and did not wet as easily as wool.” Boyer realized this fiber could be used for upholstery in cars, filling in felt hats, or clothing.

Personal life Robert Boyer was born to Earl Joseph Boyer and Ruth Marian Harris on September 30, 1909, the eldest of their seven children. By 1920, the family lived in Royal Oak, Michigan.

He married Elizabeth B Szabo in 1931, in Detroit, Michigan. The couple had two children in Detroit: Nancy Elizabeth Boyer (born 1932) and Robert Allan Boyer Jr (born 1934).

Following the death of his wife in 1963, Boyer lived in Dunedin, Florida until his death on November 11, 1989, aged 80.