Papers of Louis F. Fieser and Mary Fieser, 1899-1996.
Overview
Louis Frederick Fieser (1899-1977) and Mary Peters Fieser (1909-1997) were chemists at Harvard University. Louis was the Sheldon Emery Professor of Chemistry, Mary was his co-researcher and co-published with Louis. This collection chiefly covers their personal and professional lives, including honors and awards relating to career successes, but it notably lacks correspondence and research files, and has only a small amount of teaching material.
Dates
- Creation: 1899-1996.
Creator
- Fieser, Louis Frederick, 1899- (Person)
Conditions on Use and Access
Access to this collection requires the permission of the University Archives. Please consult the reference staff for details. Student records are restricted for 80 years.
Extent
11.5 cubic feet (2 folders, 1 volume, 2 document boxes, 7 record cartons, 1 card file box, and 10 folio boxes)This collection chiefly covers the Fiesers' personal and professional lives, including honors and awards relating to career successes, but it notably lacks correspondence and research files, and has only a small amount of teaching material.
Biography
Louis Frederick Fieser, 1899-1977, and Mary Peters Fieser, 1909-1997 were chemists at Harvard University. Louis was the Sheldon Emery Professor of Chemistry, Mary was his co-researcher and co-published with Louis, but, except for her status as a student at Radcliffe and a brief period as a research fellow, she had no official standing in the University.
Biographical / Historical
- 1899Louis Fieser born April 7 in Columbus, Ohio
- 1909Mary Peters born May 27 in Atchison, Kansas
- 1920Louis Fieser graduates from Williams College
- 1920-1924Louis Fieser pursues graduate studies at Harvard University under James B. Conant
- 1924Louis Fieser earns Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard; his thesis is on the oxidation-reduction potential of quinones
- 1925Louis Fieser does post-doctoral work at Frankfurt-am-Main and Oxford University on a Sheldon Traveling Fellowship from HarvardLouis Fieser begins teaching at Bryn Mawr College
- ca. 1925-ca. 1930Louis Fieser publishes papers on quinone chemistry
- 1926Mary Peters begins undergraduate studies at Bryn Mawr; all her chemistry courses are taught by Louis Fieser
- 1930Mary Peters graduates from Bryn Mawr, enters Radcliffe College to begin graduate study in chemistryLouis Fieser leaves Bryn Mawr, begins teaching at Harvard
- 1932Louis Fieser and Mary Peters (Fieser) marry
- early-mid 1930'sFieser/s publish papers on aromaticity
- 1935Experiments in Organic Chemistry by Louis F. Fieser is published
- mid-late 1930sFieser/s develop synthetic methods for carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- 1936Mary Peters Fiesers receives MA in Chemistry from Radcliffe First edition of The Chemistry of Natural Products related to Phenanthrene by Louis Fieser is published
- 1937Louis Fieser becomes Sheldon Emery Professor at Harvard
- 1939Synthesis of Vitamin K is publishedLouis Fieser receives honorary degree from Williams College
- ca. 1939-ca. 1945War-related research includes study of quinone anti-malarials and incendiaries
- 1940Louis Fieser becomes a member of the National Academy of Sciences
- 1941Louis Fieser becomes a member of the American Philosophical Society and a member of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesLouis Fieser receives Katharine Berkan Judd Prize for Cancer Research
- 1942Research on incendiaries leads to the invention of napalm
- 1944Organic Chemistry by Louis F. Fieser and Mary Fieser is published
- 1953Louis Fieser receives an honorary degree from the University of Paris
- 1959Steroids by Louis F. Fieser and Mary Fieser is publishedLouis Fieser receives two teaching awards: The American Chemical Society's James Flack Norris Award and The Manufacturing Chemists Association award
- 1960Style Guide for Chemists by Louis Fieser and Mary Fieser is published
- 1963Louis Fieser receives the American Chemical Society's Nichols Medal
- 1967First volume of Reagents for Organic Synthesis edited by Louis Fieser and Mary Fieser is issued
- 1968Louis Fieser becomes Emery Professor (emeritus) at Harvard, joins Smith College as Neilson Professor
- 1971Mary Fieser receives the American Chemical Society's Garvan Medal
- 1977Louis Fieser dies July 25
- 1996Harvard dedicates the Louis and Mary Fieser Laboratory for Undergraduate Organic Chemistry
- 1997Mary Fieser dies March 22
- 2004Volume 22 of Reagents for Organic Synthesis is issued
- 1899
- Louis Fieser born April 7 in Columbus, Ohio
- 1909
- Mary Peters born May 27 in Atchison, Kansas
- 1920
- Louis Fieser graduates from Williams College
- 1920-1924
- Louis Fieser pursues graduate studies at Harvard University under James B. Conant
- 1924
- Louis Fieser earns Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard; his thesis is on the oxidation-reduction potential of quinones
- 1925
- Louis Fieser does post-doctoral work at Frankfurt-am-Main and Oxford University on a Sheldon Traveling Fellowship from Harvard
- Louis Fieser begins teaching at Bryn Mawr College
- ca. 1925-ca. 1930
- Louis Fieser publishes papers on quinone chemistry
- 1926
- Mary Peters begins undergraduate studies at Bryn Mawr; all her chemistry courses are taught by Louis Fieser
- 1930
- Mary Peters graduates from Bryn Mawr, enters Radcliffe College to begin graduate study in chemistry
- Louis Fieser leaves Bryn Mawr, begins teaching at Harvard
- 1932
- Louis Fieser and Mary Peters (Fieser) marry
- early-mid 1930's
- Fieser/s publish papers on aromaticity
- 1935
- Experiments in Organic Chemistry by Louis F. Fieser is published
- mid-late 1930s
- Fieser/s develop synthetic methods for carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- 1936
- Mary Peters Fiesers receives MA in Chemistry from Radcliffe
- First edition of The Chemistry of Natural Products related to Phenanthrene by Louis Fieser is published
- 1937
- Louis Fieser becomes Sheldon Emery Professor at Harvard
- 1939
- Synthesis of Vitamin K is published
- Louis Fieser receives honorary degree from Williams College
- ca. 1939-ca. 1945
- War-related research includes study of quinone anti-malarials and incendiaries
- 1940
- Louis Fieser becomes a member of the National Academy of Sciences
- 1941
- Louis Fieser becomes a member of the American Philosophical Society and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Louis Fieser receives Katharine Berkan Judd Prize for Cancer Research
- 1942
- Research on incendiaries leads to the invention of napalm
- 1944
- Organic Chemistry by Louis F. Fieser and Mary Fieser is published
- 1953
- Louis Fieser receives an honorary degree from the University of Paris
- 1959
- Steroids by Louis F. Fieser and Mary Fieser is published
- Louis Fieser receives two teaching awards: The American Chemical Society's James Flack Norris Award and The Manufacturing Chemists Association award
- 1960
- Style Guide for Chemists by Louis Fieser and Mary Fieser is published
- 1963
- Louis Fieser receives the American Chemical Society's Nichols Medal
- 1967
- First volume of Reagents for Organic Synthesis edited by Louis Fieser and Mary Fieser is issued
- 1968
- Louis Fieser becomes Emery Professor (emeritus) at Harvard, joins Smith College as Neilson Professor
- 1971
- Mary Fieser receives the American Chemical Society's Garvan Medal
- 1977
- Louis Fieser dies July 25
- 1996
- Harvard dedicates the Louis and Mary Fieser Laboratory for Undergraduate Organic Chemistry
- 1997
- Mary Fieser dies March 22
- 2004
- Volume 22 of Reagents for Organic Synthesis is issued
Series and Subseries inthe Collection
- General folder
- Personal and Biographical Material
- ___Christmas and other cards
- ___Passports
- ___Correspondence
- ___Scrapbooks and photographs
- ___Genealogy
- ___Childhood
- ___College
- ___Bibliography
- ___Autobiography
- ___Career, retirement, and honors
- Teaching material
- Writings
Custodial History
The material in this collection came from various laboratories at Harvard.
Acquisition Information
- Accession number: 8279; 1977 December 14, Mallinckrodt Lab.
- Accession number: 13852; 1998 August 18, Mallinckrodt Lab.
- Accession number: 13873; 1998 September 15, Converse Lab.
Inventory update
This document last updated 2016 November 9.
Processing Note
The collection was first processed ca. 1985 by Harvard University Archives staff. It was formerly classified as HUG 4392.2. Barbara Meloni added material in 2004. Kate Bowers wrote the inventory in July 2005.
Creator
- Fieser, Louis Frederick, 1899- (Person)
- Fieser, Mary, 1909- (Person)
- Title
- Fieser, Louis Frederick, 1899- Papers of Louis Frederick Fieser and Mary Peters Fieser : an inventory
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua16005
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
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