Notable people · Science
Paul J. Flory
Polymer chemist born in Sterling, Illinois, who earned his PhD at Ohio State (1934) and worked at Goodyear's research labs in Akron 1943-1948. He won the 1974 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
At a glance
- Born
- 1910-06-19
- Died
- 1985-09-09
- Education
- Elgin High School, Elgin, IL, to 1927
- Manchester College, North Manchester, IN, to 1931, B.A.
- Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 1931-1934, Ph.D.
- Known as
- Science
- Organizations
- Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Ohio State University
Life story
Paul Flory was born in Sterling, Illinois, in 1910, the son of a clergyman-educator and a schoolteacher. A chemistry professor at Manchester College, Carl Holl, drew him toward science; he graduated in 1931.
He went to Ohio State, studied under Cecil Boord and Herrick Johnston, and earned his Ph.D. in 1934. He then worked for DuPont with Wallace Carothers, at the University of Cincinnati's basic research laboratory (1937-40), and at Standard Oil in New Jersey.
From 1943 to 1948 he worked at Goodyear in Akron, then taught at Cornell and later Stanford. His 1953 book Principles of Polymer Chemistry became the standard text, and he won the 1974 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He died at Big Sur, California, in 1985.
Timeline
- 1910-06-19: Born (Sterling, IL) source
- 1931: Bachelor's degree, Manchester College (North Manchester, IN) source
- 1934: Ph.D., Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) source
- 1934: Joins DuPont (Wilmington, DE) source
- 1936: Marries Emily Tabor (US) source
- 1937: Joins University of Cincinnati basic research laboratory (Cincinnati, OH) source
- 1943: Joins Goodyear Tire and Rubber (Akron, OH) source
- 1948: Becomes Cornell professor (Ithaca, NY) source
- 1953: Publishes Principles of Polymer Chemistry (US) source
- 1961: Moves to Stanford (Stanford, CA) source
- 1974: Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry and National Medal of Science (Stockholm / US) source
- 1985-09-09: Dies of a heart attack (Big Sur, CA) source
What Paul is known for
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1974
- Flory-Huggins solution theory
- Principles of Polymer Chemistry 1953
- Principles of Polymer Chemistry (1953)
- Flory-Huggins solution theory
Honors and things named for them
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1974
- National Medal of Science, 1974
- Priestley Medal, 1974
- Charles Goodyear Medal, 1968
- Perkin Medal, 1977
- National Academy of Sciences, 1953
Family
- wife: Emily Catherine Tabor
- child: Susan Springer
- child: Melinda Groom
- child: Paul John Flory Jr.
Ohio places
Where Paul J. Flory was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- School: Columbus (Ohio State University), Franklin County ZIP 43210 · Columbus · Franklin County
- Worked: Akron (Goodyear research labs), Summit County ZIP 44308 · Akron · Summit County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Paul Flory (Wikipedia) dates, Sterling IL, OSU PhD 1934, Goodyear 1943-48, Nobel 1974