author
Edgar Fahs Smith
1854–1928
A pioneering American chemist and teacher, he helped shape scientific life at the University of Pennsylvania while also turning the history of chemistry into a field worth preserving. His work joined laboratory research, academic leadership, and a deep love of science's past.
2 Audiobooks
Priestley in America, 1794-1804
by Edgar Fahs Smith
James Cutbush, an American Chemist, 1788-1823
by Edgar Fahs Smith
About the author
Born in York, Pennsylvania, in 1854, Edgar Fahs Smith studied at Pennsylvania College in Gettysburg and then continued his training in Germany, earning a Ph.D. at Göttingen. He went on to build a long career as a chemist, educator, and scholar in the United States.
Smith became closely identified with the University of Pennsylvania, where he taught chemistry and later served as provost from 1911 to 1920. He was known not only for research in analytical and electrochemistry, but also for energetic teaching and leadership in scientific organizations, including the American Chemical Society.
He is especially remembered for his devotion to the history of chemistry. By collecting books, portraits, and papers related to the subject, he helped preserve a rich record of scientific discovery for future readers and researchers. He received the Priestley Medal in 1926 and died in 1928.