Hans Thacher Clarke

Hans Thacher Clarke
Born	27 December 1887 Harrow, England
Died	21 October 1972 (aged 84)
Nationality	British/American
Alma mater	University College, London
Known for	the Eschweiler-Clarke reaction
Awards	King's Award (1948)
Scientific career
Fields	Biochemistry
Institutions	Kodak Columbia University Yale University Children's Cancer Relief Foundation

Hans Thacher Clarke (27 December 1887 – 21 October 1972) was a prominent biochemist during the first half of the twentieth century. He was born in England where he received his university training, but also studied in Germany and Ireland. He spent the remainder of his life in the United States.

Clarke was born in Harrow, England. His father was Joseph Thacher Clarke, an archaeologist. Clarke attended University College London School, and went on to enter the University as a student of chemistry, where he studied under William Ramsay, J. Norman Collie, and Samuel Smiles. He received a degree (Bachelor of Science) in 1908, and continued performing research at the University directed by Smiles and Stewart. In 1911 he was awarded an 1851 Exhibition Scholarship, which allowed him to study for three semesters in Berlin under Emil Fischer, and one semester with A. W. Stewart at Queen's College, Belfast. On his return he was granted the D.Sc. from London University in 1913.

Clarke's father had been the European representative of US photographic pioneer company Kodak for several years, and was a personal friend of founder George Eastman. After Hans graduated in Chemistry, Eastman consulted with him a few times regarding chemistry-related processes. When World War I erupted, Eastman was forced to look for other sources of the chemicals that he had been obtaining from Germany, and he turned to Hans Clarke for assistance. At Eastman's request, Clarke moved to Rochester, New York in 1914 to assist what he assumed to be the company's considerable chemical engineering department. He was shocked to discover that he was the sole organic chemist there.

Clarke stayed with Kodak until 1928, when he was invited to become the Professor of Biological Chemistry in the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. His administrative skills and ability to recognize talent contributed to the growth of Columbia's biochemistry department, which by the 1940s had become one of the largest and most influential in the United States.

...
Wikipedia