American People Famous Chemists from the United States

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List of notable or famous chemists from the United States, with bios and photos, including the top chemists born in the United States and even some popular chemists who immigrated to the United States. If you're trying to find out the names of famous American chemists then this list is the perfect resource for you. These chemists are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known chemist from the United States is included when available.

Examples of people on this list: George Washington Carver, Linus Pauling and more.

This historic chemists from the United States list can help answer the questions "Who are some American chemists of note?" and "Who are the most famous chemists from the United States?" These prominent chemists of the United States may or may not be currently alive, but what they all have in common is that they're all respected American chemists.

Use this list of renowned American chemists to discover some new chemists that you aren't familiar with. Don't forget to share this list by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. (631 items)

1

George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver, was an American botanist and inventor. The exact day and year of his birth are unknown; he was born in Missouri, either in 1861, or January 1864. Carver's reputation is ...more

2

Gordon Moore age 90
Gordon Earle Moore is an American businessman and co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Intel Corporation and the author of Moore's law. As of January 2015, his net worth is $6.7 billion.

3

Linus Pauling Dec. at 93 (1901-1994)
Linus Carl Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists ...more

4

Leo Baekeland Dec. at 81 (1863-1944)
Leo Henricus Arthur Baekeland FRSE was a Belgian-born American chemist. He invented Velox photographic paper in 1893 and Bakelite in 1907. His invention of Bakelite, an inexpensive, ...more

5

Arnold Orville Beckman Dec. at 104 (1900-2004)
Arnold Orville Beckman was an American chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. While a professor at Caltech, he founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention of the pH meter, ...more

6

Gregory Goodwin Pincus Dec. at 64 (1903-1967)
Dr. Gregory Goodwin Pincus was an American biologist and researcher who co-invented the combined oral contraceptive pill.

7

Henry Eyring Dec. at 80 (1901-1981)
Henry Eyring was a Mexican-born American theoretical chemist whose primary contribution was in the study of chemical reaction rates and intermediates. A prolific writer, he authored more than ...more

8

Stephanie Kwolek Dec. at 91 (1923-2014)
Stephanie Louise Kwolek was an American chemist, whose career at the DuPont company covered over forty years. She is best known for inventing the first of a family of synthetic fibers of ...more

9

Leland Clark Dec. at 87 (1918-2005)
Leland C. Clark Jr. was an American biochemist born in Rochester, New York. He is most well known as the inventor of the Clark electrode, a device used for measuring oxygen in blood, water and ...more

10

Catherine Coleman age 58
Catherine Grace "Cady" Coleman is an American chemist, a former United States Air Force officer, and a current NASA astronaut. She is a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, and ...more

11

George M. Church age 64
George Church is professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center for Computational Genetics. With degrees from Duke University in chemistry and zoology, he co-authored ...more

12

Tracy Caldwell Dyson age 49
Tracy Caldwell Dyson is an American chemist and NASA astronaut. Caldwell Dyson was a Mission Specialist on Space Shuttle Endeavour flight STS-118 in August 2007. She was part of the Expedition ...more

13

Albert C. Barnes Dec. at 79 (1872-1951)
Albert Coombs Barnes was an American physician, chemist, businessman, art collector, writer, and educator, and the founder of the Barnes Foundation in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania.

14

Millie Hughes-Fulford age 73
Millie Elizabeth Hughes-Fulford is an American medical investigator and molecular biologist who flew aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission as a Payload Specialist.

15

John Fenn Dec. at 93 (1917-2010)
John Bennett Fenn was an American research professor of analytical chemistry who was awarded a share of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002. Fenn shared half of the award with Koichi Tanaka for ...more

16

Robert S. Mulliken Dec. at 90 (1896-1986)
Robert Sanderson Mulliken ForMemRS was an American physicist and chemist, primarily responsible for the early development of molecular orbital theory, i.e. the elaboration of the molecular ...more

17

Herbert Henry Dow Dec. at 64 (1866-1930)
Herbert Henry Dow was a Canadian born, American chemical industrialist. He was a graduate of Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, Ohio. His most significant achievement was the founding ...more

18

Neil Bartlett Dec. at 76 (1932-2008)
|family = Dee Bartlett, Ava Bartlett Neil Bartlett was a chemist who specialized in fluorine and compounds containing fluorine, and became famous for creating the first noble gas compounds. He ...more

19

Melvin Calvin Dec. at 86 (1911-1997)
Melvin Ellis Calvin was an American chemist most famed for discovering the Calvin cycle along with Andrew Benson and James Bassham, for which he was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He ...more

20

John Pemberton Dec. at 57 (1831-1888)
John Stith Pemberton was an American pharmacist, and is best known for being the inventor of Coca-Cola.

21

Calvin Souther Fuller Dec. at 92 (1902-1994)
Calvin Souther Fuller was a physical chemist at AT&T Bell Laboratories where he worked for 37 years from 1930 to 1967. Fuller was part of a team in basic research that found answers to ...more

22

Leopold Godowsky, Jr. Dec. at 83 (1900-1983)
Leopold Godowsky, Jr. was an American violinist and chemist, who together with Leopold Mannes created the first practical color transparency film, Kodachrome.

23

Marie Maynard Daly Dec. at 82 (1921-2003)
Marie Maynard Daly was an American biochemist. She was the first African American woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry.

24

Jheri Redding Dec. at 91 (1907-1998)
Jheri Redding was an American hairdresser, chemist, hair care products entrepreneur and businessman. Redding is best known for having created the Jheri curl. Redding is credited with being the ...more

25

Rachel Fuller Brown Dec. at 82 (1898-1980)
Rachel Fuller Brown was a chemist best known for her long-distance collaboration with microbiologist Elizabeth Lee Hazen in developing the first useful antifungal antibiotic, Nystatin, while ...more

1 George Washington Carver George Washington Carver, was an American botanist and inventor. The exact day and year of his birth are unknown; he was born in Missouri, either in 1861, or January 1864. Carver's reputation is ...more

2 Gordon Moore age 90 Gordon Earle Moore is an American businessman and co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Intel Corporation and the author of Moore's law. As of January 2015, his net worth is $6.7 billion.

3 Linus Pauling Dec. at 93 (1901-1994) Linus Carl Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists ...more

4 Leo Baekeland Dec. at 81 (1863-1944) Leo Henricus Arthur Baekeland FRSE was a Belgian-born American chemist. He invented Velox photographic paper in 1893 and Bakelite in 1907. His invention of Bakelite, an inexpensive, ...more

5 Arnold Orville Beckman Dec. at 104 (1900-2004) Arnold Orville Beckman was an American chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. While a professor at Caltech, he founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention of the pH meter, ...more

6 Gregory Goodwin Pincus Dec. at 64 (1903-1967) Dr. Gregory Goodwin Pincus was an American biologist and researcher who co-invented the combined oral contraceptive pill.

7 Henry Eyring Dec. at 80 (1901-1981) Henry Eyring was a Mexican-born American theoretical chemist whose primary contribution was in the study of chemical reaction rates and intermediates. A prolific writer, he authored more than ...more

8 Stephanie Kwolek Dec. at 91 (1923-2014) Stephanie Louise Kwolek was an American chemist, whose career at the DuPont company covered over forty years. She is best known for inventing the first of a family of synthetic fibers of ...more

9 Leland Clark Dec. at 87 (1918-2005) Leland C. Clark Jr. was an American biochemist born in Rochester, New York. He is most well known as the inventor of the Clark electrode, a device used for measuring oxygen in blood, water and ...more

10 Catherine Coleman age 58 Catherine Grace "Cady" Coleman is an American chemist, a former United States Air Force officer, and a current NASA astronaut. She is a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, and ...more

11 George M. Church age 64 George Church is professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center for Computational Genetics. With degrees from Duke University in chemistry and zoology, he co-authored ...more

12 Tracy Caldwell Dyson age 49 Tracy Caldwell Dyson is an American chemist and NASA astronaut. Caldwell Dyson was a Mission Specialist on Space Shuttle Endeavour flight STS-118 in August 2007. She was part of the Expedition ...more

13 Albert C. Barnes Dec. at 79 (1872-1951) Albert Coombs Barnes was an American physician, chemist, businessman, art collector, writer, and educator, and the founder of the Barnes Foundation in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania.

14 Millie Hughes-Fulford age 73 Millie Elizabeth Hughes-Fulford is an American medical investigator and molecular biologist who flew aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission as a Payload Specialist.

15 John Fenn Dec. at 93 (1917-2010) John Bennett Fenn was an American research professor of analytical chemistry who was awarded a share of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002. Fenn shared half of the award with Koichi Tanaka for ...more

16 Robert S. Mulliken Dec. at 90 (1896-1986) Robert Sanderson Mulliken ForMemRS was an American physicist and chemist, primarily responsible for the early development of molecular orbital theory, i.e. the elaboration of the molecular ...more

17 Herbert Henry Dow Dec. at 64 (1866-1930) Herbert Henry Dow was a Canadian born, American chemical industrialist. He was a graduate of Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, Ohio. His most significant achievement was the founding ...more

18 Neil Bartlett Dec. at 76 (1932-2008) |family = Dee Bartlett, Ava Bartlett Neil Bartlett was a chemist who specialized in fluorine and compounds containing fluorine, and became famous for creating the first noble gas compounds. He ...more

19 Melvin Calvin Dec. at 86 (1911-1997) Melvin Ellis Calvin was an American chemist most famed for discovering the Calvin cycle along with Andrew Benson and James Bassham, for which he was awarded the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He ...more

20 John Pemberton Dec. at 57 (1831-1888) John Stith Pemberton was an American pharmacist, and is best known for being the inventor of Coca-Cola.

21 Calvin Souther Fuller Dec. at 92 (1902-1994) Calvin Souther Fuller was a physical chemist at AT&T Bell Laboratories where he worked for 37 years from 1930 to 1967. Fuller was part of a team in basic research that found answers to ...more

22 Leopold Godowsky, Jr. Dec. at 83 (1900-1983) Leopold Godowsky, Jr. was an American violinist and chemist, who together with Leopold Mannes created the first practical color transparency film, Kodachrome.

23 Marie Maynard Daly Dec. at 82 (1921-2003) Marie Maynard Daly was an American biochemist. She was the first African American woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry.

24 Jheri Redding Dec. at 91 (1907-1998) Jheri Redding was an American hairdresser, chemist, hair care products entrepreneur and businessman. Redding is best known for having created the Jheri curl. Redding is credited with being the ...more

25 Rachel Fuller Brown Dec. at 82 (1898-1980) Rachel Fuller Brown was a chemist best known for her long-distance collaboration with microbiologist Elizabeth Lee Hazen in developing the first useful antifungal antibiotic, Nystatin, while ...more