152 
William  Wcightman. 
Am.  Jour.  Ptiarm. 
April.  1905. 
Mr.  Farr,  in  1847,  the  firm  became  Powers  &  Weightman,  which 
name  was  retained  until  the  beginning  of  the  present  year. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Powers  occurred  in  1878,  whereupon  Mr. 
Weightman,  in  addition  to  his  duties  as  a  chemist,  assumed 
charge  of  the  commercial  interests  of  his  house.  In  1883  Mr. 
Weightman  admitted  into  partnership  his  two  sons,  Dr.  John  Farr 
Weightmann  and  Dr.  William  Weightman,  both  of  whom  died  a  few 
years  afterwards.  In  1893  Robert  J.  C.  Walker,  Mr.  Weightman's 
son-in-law,  was  admitted  as  a  member  of  the  firm.  Upon  Mr. 
Walker's  death,  in  1903,  his  wife,  Anne  M.  Weightman  Walker,  suc- 
ceeded to  membership  in  the  firm,  she  being  the  only  daughter  of 
Mr.  Weightman,  and  upon  the  death  of  the  latter  she  became  the 
sole  member  of  the  firm  until  its  consolidation  with  the  firm  of 
Rosengarten  &  Sons  recently. 
To  give  a  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Weightman  is  almost  equiva- 
lent to  giving  a  history  of  the  chemical  manufacturing  industry  in  this 
country.  His  firm  early  became  known  for  the  introduction  of  new 
chemicals  and  tor  the  development  of  processes  of  manufacture.  In 
1875  the  Elliott  Cresson  gold  medal  was  awarded  them  by  the 
Franklin  Institute  "for  the  introduction  of  an  industry  new  in  the 
United  States  and  perfection  of  result  in  the  product  obtained  in 
the  manufacture  of  citric  acid."  The  same  medal  (which  is  but 
rarely  conferred)  was  also  awarded  them  u  for  the  ingenuity  and 
skill  shown  in  the  manufacture  and  for  the  perfection  of  workman- 
ship displayed  in  the  production  of  the  cheaper  alkaloids  of  the  cin- 
chona barks."  It  was  entirely  due  to  the  efforts  of  this  house  that 
sulphate  of  cinchonidine  became  so  favorably  known  and  so  largely 
employed  as  an  efficient  substitute  for  quinine,  at  a  time  when  the 
high  price  of  the  latter  largely  restricted  its  use.  (See  editorial  in 
Amer.  Jour.  Pharm.,  Vol.  xxvii,  1855,  p.  573.) 
It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  in  the  number  and  excellence  of 
their  products,  this  firm  is  the  equal  of  any  in  the  United  States.  It 
is  nearly  fifty  years  ago  that  one  as  eminent  as  Professor  Procter 
referred  to  "  the  deservedly  excellent  reputation "  of  Powers  & 
Weightman.    (See  Amer.  Jour.  Pharm.,  Vol.  xxvii,  p.  480.) 
The  success  of  the  firm  was  largely  due  to  the  eminent  traits 
which  marked  the  character  and  life  of  William  Weightman,  who 
gathered  around  him  competent  men  who  were  trained  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  correct  business  principles,  and  who,  because  of  the  equita- 
