THE INCORPORATORS 185 
and acquirements made him one of the most popular scientific 
lecturers in the country. . . . It seems to me that the utility of 
science, in its broadest sense, was always uppermost in his mind. 
He is always tracing abstract principles to their practical appli- 
cations.” 
(From ALExIs CASWELL, in Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy 
of Sciences, vol. 1, 1877, pp. 99-112.) 
BENJAMIN SILLIMAN, JUNIOR 
Born, December 4, 1816; died, January 14, 1885 
Benjamin Silliman, Junior, was born in New Haven, Decem- 
ber 4, 1816. His father was Professor of Chemistry in Yale 
College, and the son spent his early life in the wholesome intel- 
lectual atmosphere of that institution. He graduated from Yale 
in 1837, and became assistant to his father the following year, 
being instructor in chemistry, mineralogy, and geology. In 
1842, at his own expense, he equipped a chemical laboratory in 
a room in one of the college buildings for the instruction of 
private pupils. His zeal in the work and his efforts to arouse an 
interest in others were prominent factors in the founding of the 
Yale Scientific School, now known as the Sheffield Scientific 
School, in 1847. He was appointed Professor of Applied 
Chemistry in 1846, and succeeded his father in the chair of 
chemistry in 1853. ‘This position he held until his death on 
January 14, 1885. From 1849 to 1854 he had been Professor of 
Medical Chemistry and Toxicology at the University of Louis- 
ville, Kentucky. 
During the year 1847, Professor Silliman visited California 
and engaged in professional work connected with the mines and 
made extensive geological explorations. He also delivered an 
oration before the College of California in 1869. As an expert 
in chemical arts and manufactures he was often called by the 
courts to testify in law cases. 
He also delivered popular lectures throughout the country. 
For many years he was one of the editors of the American 
Journal of Science. 
