Am.  Jour.  Fharm.  \ 
January,  1910.  j 
Mahlon  N.  Kline. 
43 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  also  Chairman  of  the  committees 
on  legislation  and  finance  of  the  College,  besides  holding  other 
minor  offices.  Mr.  Kline's  interest  in  the  College  was  also  mani- 
fested in  other  ways.  Since  1897  he  had  offered  an  annual  prize 
of  a  prescription  balance  to  the  student  passing  the  best  examina- 
tion in  the  theory  and  practice  of  pharmacy.  He  was  liberal  in 
contributing  to  the  financial  support  of  the  College,  and  probably 
his  most  notable  contribution  was  as  a  member  of  the  Smith,  Kline 
&  French  Co.  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Howard  B.  French  in 
purchasing  and  donating  the  Martindale  Herbarium,  in  1894. 
Mr.  Kline  was  born  February  6,  1846,  near  Hamburg,  Berks 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  In 
1865  he  went  to  Philadelphia  and  laid  the  foundation  of  his  suc- 
cessful business  career  in  the  employ  of  the  wholesale  drug  house 
of  Smith  &  Shoemaker.  His  merit  was  quickly  recognized  and 
three  years  later  he  was  admitted  to  partnership  in  the  firm. 
Mr.  Shoemaker  retired  in  1869  and  the  name  of  the  firm  was 
changed  to  Smith,  Kline  &  Co.,  which  in  1888  was  incorporated 
under  the  style  of  The  Smith  &  Kline  Co.  In  1891  a  wholesale 
drug  business  of  French,  Richards  &  Co.  was  liquidated  and  Harry 
B.  French  of  this  firm  joined  the  Smith  &  Kline  Co.,  as  its  Vice- 
president,  the  name  being  again  changed  to  Smith,  Kline  &  French 
Co. 
Mr.  Kline  joined  the  National  Wholesale  Druggists'  Associa- 
tion at  the  time  of  its  formation  in  1882  and  in  1885  was  elected 
its  President.  For  ten  years,  from  1887  to  1897,  Mr.  Kline  served 
conspicuously  and  efficiently  as  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Proprietary  Goods,  which  he  relinquished  to  assume  the  chair- 
manship of  the  Committee  on  Suits  against  members  of  the  asso- 
ciation. In  this  connection  he  had  proved  himself  invaluable  in 
shaping  the  course  which  was  pursued  in  the  "  Park  "  suits  and  in 
the  litigation  which  ultimately  led  to  the  "  Indianapolis  Decree." 
In  1898  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  association  held  in  St. 
Louis  that  year,  he  was  made  Chairman  of  the  Legislative 
Committee,  which  position  with  but  one  year's  interruption  he 
retained  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  While  acting  as  Chairman 
of  the  Legislative  Committee  Mr.  Kline  was  largely  responsible 
for  the  passage  of  the  denatured  alcohol  bill  and  it  was  through 
his  efforts  largely  that  the  law  permitting  of  the  drawback  allow- 
ance on  grain  alcohol  for  export  when  used  in  medicinal  and 
