William J. Hale and the Farm Chemurgic Movement

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From the 19th century on, farmers have turned to science to try to resolve many of their more intractable problems. Dr. Wright is examining one of the efforts on the part of chemists in the United States to help extricate farmers from the effects of the Great Depression of the 1930's. These "Chemurgists" (a term combining the Greek root for work with "chemistry"), led by Dow Chemical's William J. Hale, claimed that "economic recovery would be achieved in the laboratory, not the legislature," or, put more starkly, that internal developments in chemistry dictated technological and economic policy. Backed by the powerful Chemical Foundation, the Chemurgists promoted their ideas in the technical literature and in the political arena as an alternative to the New Deal's efforts at agricultural assistance. As their central demonstration project, the Chemurgists produced and marketed power alcohol (or "agrol") in the late 1930's setting off political and chemical controversies. In his study, Dr. Wright will examine four questions: 1. What did Hale believe he discovered about the relation of chemical research to national agricultural policy that caused him to abandon a highly successful career as a chemist and research administrator to become a Chemurgic proselytizer? 2. Should Chemurgy be considered a successful applied research program? 3. Why was there such protracted expert disagreement over the technical and economic adequacy of Chemurgy's alcohol fuels given their simple chemical structure? 4. Was Chemurgy successful as a political movement? In addressing these questions, Dr. Wright will examine the ways both Chemurgists and their antagonists constructed narrative histories of science to justify or criticize Chemurgy's research and political claims. This study promises to enhance our understanding of the role of science in agriculture in the 20th century and, more generally, the social and political implications inherent in applied research.