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COLLECTION Identifier: HUGFP 24.xx

Papers of Eugene George Rochow

Overview

Eugene George Rochow (1909-2002), inorganic chemist, taught at Harvard University from 1948 until his retirement in 1970. Rochow's papers document his personal life and professional career and include correspondence, published and unpublished manuscripts, Harvard course materials, consulting records, research files, and personal memorabilia.

Dates

  • Creation: circa 1915-2003 and [undated]

Researcher Access

The Papers of Eugene George Rochow are open for research with the following exceptions:

Access to the HUGFP 24.87 series requires donor permission.

Further restrictions apply: Personnel and student records are closed for 80 years. Specific restrictions are noted at the series and folder level. Requires further review by the archivist; please see reference staff for details.

Extent

12.46 cubic feet (10 document boxes, 8 record cartons, 2 half-document boxes, 1 legal document box, 1 flat box)

The Papers of Eugene George Rochow document his personal life and professional career as a Harvard University professor and inorganic chemist. The bulk of the collection contains personal and professional correspondence. Rochow's involvement in research is documented through letters with industrial and university laboratories and research agencies, such as the Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation, as well as individual researchers. His role in scientific societies, particularly the American Chemical Society, and as a scientific writer, are reflected in correspondence, reviews, abstracts, and meeting and conference notes.

Rochow’s teaching career is represented throughout the correspondence series, including letters related to the organization of Harvard's Department of Chemistry, such as letters of recommendation and staff recruitment inquiries. The collection also includes course syllabi and examinations.

Rochow’s papers contain technical reports, curricula vitae, lists of publications, consulting records, research and subject files, writings and speeches, bibliographies, laboratory instructions and notebooks, and manuscripts of his books, both published and unpublished. There are also biographical materials, memorabilia, and photographs.

Biographical note on Eugene George Rochow

Eugene George Rochow (1909-2002), inorganic chemist, taught at Harvard University from 1948 until his retirement in 1970. He earned his BS and PhD from Cornell University in 1931 and 1935. Rochow then worked for General Electric, where he developed and patented methyl silicone, a new inorganic polymer. In 1962, the Society of Chemical Industry awarded Eugene their Perkin Medal for “his role in the industrial birth of a new family of polymers — the silicones.”

Rochow remained at General Electric until the company asked him to conduct research on nuclear fission for World War II naval vessels. As a Quaker and pacifist, Rochow refused to work on “destructive weapons of war” and joined Harvard University’s Chemistry Department as Associate Professor in 1948; he was promoted to full Professor in 1951. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1949 and received many honorary degrees and awards throughout his career. Rochow died in 2002.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in six series:

  1. Correspondence and related papers, 1964-1970 (and some earlier) and [undated] (HUGFP 24.10)
  2. Teaching materials, 1963-1964 (HUGFP 24.62)
  3. Manuscripts of books (HUGFP 24.80)
  4. Manuscripts of books (typescripts) (HUGFP 24.85)
  5. Reprints and pamphlets (HUGFP 24.86)
  6. Biographical and professional materials, circa 1915-2003 and [undated] (HUGFP 24.87)

Acquisition

Specific acquisition information, when available, is noted at the series level:

  1. Gift of Eugene George Rochow, received July 26, 1978; Accession 8427
  2. Gift of Eugene Rochow, received June 30, 2010; Accession 18156

Related Materials

The Harvard University Archives also holds:

  1. Several photographs of Rochow are available in the News office photographs: faculty and staff portraits, 1909-1972 (inclusive), 1942-1968 (bulk) (UAV 605.2970.5) https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/hua39016/catalog
  2. A photograph of Rochow is available in the Photograph Collection: Portraits, approximately 1852-approximately 2004 (HUP) https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/hua04006/catalog

Inventory update

This document last updated 2022 April 22.

Processing Information

This finding aid was created by Olivia Mandica-Hart in July-August 2021. Information in this finding aid was assembled from legacy paper inventories and container management data. The collection was not re-examined by the archivist. Titles were devised by the archivist.

Title
Rochow, Eugene G. (Eugene George), 1909-2002. Papers of Eugene George Rochow, circa 1915-2003 and [undated] : an inventory
Status
completed
Author
Harvard University Archives
Date
July 16, 2021
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
und
EAD ID
hua61021

Repository Details

Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository

Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.

Contact:
Pusey Library
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Cambridge MA 02138 USA
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