Henry Adam Weber

Background

Henry Adam Weber was born in Clinton Township, Franklin County, Ohio, the son of Frederick and Caroline (Tascher) Weber, both natives of the German Palatinate.

Education

During his studies at Otterbein College, Westerville, Ohio, in 1861-63 he became interested in chemistry and went to Germany to perfect himself in this science. After studying at Kaiserslautern (1863 - 66) and at the University of Munich under Justus von Liebig (1866 - 68), he returned to the United States. In 1879 he received the degree of Ph. D. from Ohio State University.

Career

Between 1869 and 1874, as chemist of the geological survey of Ohio, he made comprehensive analyses of the minerals and soils of the state. He was professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois from 1874 to 1882. There he planned a new chemical laboratory for the university which was one of the most complete of its kind, and served as chemist of both the state board of agriculture and the state board of health. In the latter capacity he made an exhaustive sanitary examination of the river waters of the state. During this period he first became interested in pure-food legislation. About 1879, in collaboration with Melville A. Scovell, he began experiments upon the manufacture of sugar from sorghum, patenting a superheat process of clarification that attracted considerable attention. The work led to the establishment of the Champaign Sugar and Glucose Company for the purpose of manufacturing sucrose from sorghum juice and glucose from the starch of sorghum grain. Weber devoted his time from 1882 to 1884 to the development of this enterprise, but the natural deficiencies of sorghum as a sugar-producing crop, the reduction of the tariff on sugar, and other economic factors caused the general abandonment of the project. From 1884 until the end of his life Weber was professor of agricultural chemistry at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. He also served as state chemist of Ohio, and chief chemist of the Ohio state dairy and food commission (1884 - 97), and became recognized as one of the pioneers in the national pure-food movement initiated by Dr. Harvey W. Wiley. In 1903 he was appointed, with William Frear, Edward Hopkins Jenkins, M. A. Scovell, and H. W. Wiley, a member of the first American committee on food standards, created by Congress. He died at his home in Columbus, Ohio.

Achievements

• He rendered distinguished service in the movement which led to the passage of the Federal Food and Drug Act in 1906. He was the author of a Select Course in Qualitative Analysis (1875) and of numerous bulletins, reports, and articles upon chemical subjects.

Works

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• book

  • The Northern Sugar Cane Manual

    ( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)

  • A Select Course in Qualitative Analysis

Membership

Weber was a member of numerous chemical and scientific societies, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Connections

He married on December 29, 1870, Rosa Ober of Columbus, Ohio, whom he met in Germany during his student days and who survived him with two daughters.

Father:

Frederick Weber

Mother:

Caroline (Tascher) Weber

Spouse:

Rosa Ober