Charles Benjamin Dudley
Template:Short description Template:Infobox person Charles Benjamin Dudley (July 14, 1842 – December 21, 1909) was an American chemist who was an early proponent of standardisation in industry.
Dudley was born in Oxford, New York, and owing to family circumstances, had to wait until 1867 before he could enter Yale College, supporting himself as a night editor on the New Haven Palladium newspaper. After graduating with a B.A. degree in 1871, he eventually earned a Ph.D. from the Sheffield Scientific School in 1874.<ref name="CBDYaleObit">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="eb">[Anon.] (2001)</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
In 1875, he became a chemist for the Pennsylvania Railroad and started to investigate the chemical composition and metallurgical structure of rail tracks, breakage being a major hazard at that time.<ref name="eb"/> He discovered enormous variation in the properties and quality of steel and the 1878 publication of his results<ref>Dudley (1878)</ref> caused an uproar in the steel industry, who saw it as their sole domain to determine the quality of their products for sale. Dudley championed the development of the company and industry standards and demanded rigorous testing of materials to verify conformity. He developed a complete range of standards for the Pennsylvania Railroad, not only for steel, but also for fuels, lubricants, paints, and even locomotives.<ref name="eb"/>
In 1879, Dudley was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1882, he was made a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1896 and 1897, Dudley served as president of the American Chemical Society.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1898, he was one of the founders of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM),<ref name="eb"/> becoming president from 1902 to 1908.<ref>[Anon.] (1926) New International Encyclopedia</ref>
He died in Altoona, Pennsylvania.<ref name="eb"/>
Honours
- Member of Phi Beta Kappa;<ref name="eb"/>
- President of the ASTM, (1902-1909).<ref name="eb"/>
References
Bibliography
- [Anon.] (2001) "Dudley, Charles Benjamin", Encyclopædia Britannica, Deluxe Edition CD-ROM
- Dudley, C. B. (1878) "The chemical composition and physical properties of steel rails", Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers
Template:ASTM standards Template:Presidents of the American Chemical Society
- 1842 births
- 1909 deaths
- People from Oxford, New York
- Yale College alumni
- Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science alumni
- Chemists from New York (state)
- 19th-century American chemists
- Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Presidents of the American Chemical Society
- 20th-century American chemists
- Members of the American Philosophical Society