Wilbur O. Atwater
| Wilbur Olin Atwater | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | May 3, 1844 Johnsburg, New York |
| Died | September 22, 1907 (aged 63) Middletown, Connecticut |
| Nationality | United States |
| Fields | chemistry |
| Known for | metabolism |
| Notable awards | Elliott Cresson Medal (1898) |
Wilbur Olin Atwater (May 3, 1844 – September 22, 1907) was an American chemist known for his studies of human nutrition and metabolism. He is credited with developing the Atwater system, laying the groundwork, in the 19th century, for the science of nutrition in the United States and inspiring modern Olympic nutrition.
Atwater was born in Johnsburg, New York and grew up in the New England area. He opted not to fight in the American Civil War and instead to pursue an undergraduate degree at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. In 1868, Atwater's interest in civil engineering and agricultural chemistry led him to enroll in Yale University's Sheffield Scientific School, where he analyzed agricultural fertilizers for specific mineral content. Atwater received his doctorate in 1869 in agricultural chemistry, his thesis being entitled "The Proximate Composition of Several Types of American Maize." Afterwards, he spent two years in Leipzig and Berlin, where he visited agricultural experiment stations. Atwater also spent time traveling throughout Scotland, Rome, and Naples, where he reported his findings in local newspapers distributed where he lived back in the United States. Atwater later returned to the United States to teach at East Tennessee University and later Wesleyan as its first Professor of Chemistry.
His granddaughter Catherine Merriam Atwater married economist John Kenneth Galbraith.
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