J. Paul Hogan

John Paul Hogan (August 7, 1919^[1] – February 19, 2012)^[2][3] was an American research chemist. Along with Robert Banks, he discovered methods of producing polypropylene and high-density polyethylene.^[1]

Hogan was born in Lowes, Kentucky to Charles Franklin and Alma (Wyman) Hogan and earned B.S. degrees in both Chemistry and Physics at Murray State University of Kentucky in 1942. He taught at both the high school and college level before going to work in research at the Phillips Petroleum Company in 1944.

His work was primarily in the area of plastics and catalysts. In 1951, he invented crystalline polypropylene and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with his fellow research chemist Robert Banks. These plastics were initially known by the name Marlex. He held (jointly) a number of important patents and authored research papers before he left Phillips in 1985.

After a few years as an independent consultant, he fully retired in 1993.

In 1987, he and Robert Banks together received the Perkin Medal Award^[4] and both were given a Heroes of Chemistry award by the American Chemical Society in 1989.^[5] In 2001, they were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.^[1] Dr. Hogan was inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame^[6] in 2014.

References

1. . National Inventors Hall of Fame. 2002. Archived from the original on 9 July 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
2. . Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. February 23, 2012. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
3. Death notice in Tulsa World, February 20, 2012.
4. Emsley, John (1999). Molecules at an exhibition: portraits of intriguing materials in everyday life. Oxford University Press. p. 128. ISBN 0-19-286206-5.
5. . American Chemical Society. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
6. Hogan, Paul (2014). "Dr. J. Paul Hogan".