THE INCORPORATORS 1 85 



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 Academyi 

 of Sciences, vol. I, 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, 1 816. 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. 



