Samuel Wilson Parr

Samuel Wilson Parr (January 21, 1857 – May 16, 1931) was an American chemist and academic from Illinois. A graduate of the Illinois Industrial University (University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign), he taught at Illinois College after receiving a master's degree from Cornell University. He was recruited by the University of Illinois in 1891 and remained there for the rest of his career. Parr is noted for his contributions to industrial chemistry, including the identification of the alloy illium, named for the school. In 1928, Parr was the president of the American Chemical Society.

Biography Samuel Wilson Parr was born on January 21, 1857, in Granville, Illinois. He apprenticed as an instructor at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois, then was named a professor of General Science there.

In 1891, the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (the former Illinois Industrial) recruited Parr during a faculty expansion phase. He was named department chair of applied chemistry. From 1900 to 1901, he studied teaching at the Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of Zurich. Parr became known for his work in industrial and engineering chemistry. He founded what is now the Parr Instrument Company in 1899 which continues to operate today. Columbia University awarded him their Chandler gold medal in 1926. He served a term as president of the American Chemical Society in 1928. Parr founded and was president of the university YMCA. and was buried at the Mount Hope Cemetery and Mausoleum there.