Background
William Henry Chandler was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on December 13, 1841 to Charles Chandler and Sarah Whitney.
William Henry Chandler was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on December 13, 1841 to Charles Chandler and Sarah Whitney.
He was educated at Union College, and from 1862 to 1867 he was a chemist for various companies. He received a Doctor of Philosophy from Hamilton College in 1872.
From 1868 to 1871 Chandler was an instructor in chemistry at the Columbia School of Mines. In 1871, he became a Professor of Chemistry at Lehigh University. In 1876 he was a juror at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, and in 1878 at the Paris exhibition.
Chandler"s interests extended beyond chemistry.
In 1878, he was made director of Lehigh University"s Linderman Library, which he ran for many years. Chandler also compiled his own encyclopedia, Chandler"s Encyclopedia: An Epitome of Universal Knowledge, which was published in 1898.
Chandler married Mary Elizabeth Sayre on June 10, 1873. They had three children, Robert, Evelyn, and Sarah Whitney.
He died on November 23, 1906, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Chandler was a fellow of the Chemical Society of London, and a member of the Chemical Societies of Paris and New New York