HERTY, CHARLES H. (CHARLES HOLMES), 1867-1938.
Charles H. Herty papers > American Chemical Society

Scope and Content Note

Herty became a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 1893, and he was actively involved with the organization for the following thirty-five years. He served as president in 1915 and 1916. During this time, he stressed the importance of cooperation between universities and industries, the need for more fundamental chemical research, and the need for improved tariff protection for the American chemical industry. He was the first full-time editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, and he did much to expand its influence. His editorials repeated the themes of his presidency. He also energetically defended the establishment of the Chemical Warfare Service, and emphasized the importance of chemistry in every-day life. He was the first director of the ACS news service.

Herty chaired the following committees: Advisory Committee to the Bureau of Mines (1916-1920), Committee on an Institute for Chemo-Medical Research (1919-1931, from 1919-1920 this was the Committee on an Institute for Drug Research), Committee on Coordination of Chemical Work Within the War Department (1919), Committee to Cooperate with Chemical Warfare Service (1920-1922), and the Division of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry (1908-1909).

He served on other committees, including: Committee on Inorganic Nomenclature (1913-1915), Committee on Nomenclature, Spelling and Pronunciation (1917-1921), Committee on Exchanges (1917-1921), Advisory Committee to the President (1917-1921) [In 1921, the name was changed to Committee on National Policy], Committee on Prize Essays (1923-1931), and Committee on Women's Award in Chemistry (1936-1938)

Herty was active in local sections. He worked for the establishment of the Georgia Section (1900-1903); and he was president (1906) and councillor (1907-1908) of the North Carolina section. He became a member of the New York Section in 1917, and served as chairman (1918), member of the executive committee (1920-1921), chairman of the publicity committee (1921), and councillor (1924-1929).

ACS administrative correspondence, arrangements for meetings and local section requests for appearances by Herty are filed in General Correspondence section along with correspondence about the ACS Institute of Chemistry. The Committees section includes correspondence about individual divisions and committees and correspondence relating to the Georgia, New York, and North Carolina sections. The series also includes files dealing with ACS publications and with the development of the ACS News Service, Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry.

Correspondence is arranged as follows: General Correspondence includes correspondence with the public and with contributors of articles. Correspondence with the journal prior and subsequent to Herty's term as editor is also included. Office Correspondence concerns the physical operation of the journal; correspondence with staff and ACS officers about the journal; correspondence with the ACS advertising committee. Journal Requests Correspondence includes requests for reprints, back issues, photographic cuts and subscriptions. The 1916 journal files of the previous editor, Dr. M. C. Whitaker, are included among these papers.

Related material can be found in the following series: Series 6: Industrial Progress and National Defense; Series 7: Medicine and Health; Series 10: Educational Work; Series 13: Notebooks, Speeches, Writings, Clippings, and Office Filing System; and Series 15: Photographs.