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Richard Sears McCulloh

November 28, 2023

Richard Sears McCulloh (18 March 1818 – 1894) was an American civil engineer and professor of mechanics and thermodynamics at the Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia.

Career edit

McCulloh was born on 18 March 1818 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. He graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1836, then studied chemistry in Philadelphia with James Curtis Booth from 1838 to 1839. From 1846 to 1849 he worked for the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1846.[1] McCulloh was appointed professor of natural philosophy at Princeton University on 24 October 1849, and then professor of natural and experimental philosophy at Columbia College on 3 April 1854.[2]

During the American Civil War, McCulloh disappeared from New York after the draft riots and in October 1863 McCulloh went to Richmond, Virginia to become the consulting chemist of the Confederate Nitre and Mining Bureau.[2] In response, Columbia College expelled him from his professorship.[3] While in Richmond, he helped "the Confederacy in making a chemical weapon".[4] His experiments in creating a lethal gas were proved successful in February 1865, but before the weapon could be used in practice Richmond fell in April 1865. McCulloh fled the city but was captured two months later off the coast of Florida, and for almost two years was imprisoned in the Virginia State Penitentiary.[5]

After being released, in 1866 McCulloh was appointed to the new "McCormick Professorship of Experimental Philosophy & Applied Mathematics" at Washington and Lee College. He resigned later during financial retrenchment.[6] In 1869 he was a member of a faculty committee that created an expensive plan for expanding the Washington College curriculum dramatically.[7] In January 1870 he was a Professor of Natural Philosophy at Washington College.[6] In 1878, McCulloh received an honorary doctorate of law degree from Washington and Lee University.[citation needed]

Work edit

McCulloh was interested in a range of practical and scientific subjects. He prepared a plan for organizing the naval observatory.[8] He wrote on the use of hydrometers to measure sugar and alcohol content of liquids, and wrote a treatise on electricity.[9] He invented a method of refining California gold that involved combining the ore with zinc. This invention was similar to an independent invention by his former teacher James Curtis Booth, and the two men agreed to combine their inventions into a single patent, which they sold to an interested industrialist.[10]

In 1876, a collection of McCulloh's lecture notes were published in a book entitled Treatise on the Mechanical Theory of Heat and its Application to the Steam Engine, Etc. McCulloh acknowledged the pioneering work of James Prescott Joule and Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot in establishing the laws of thermodynamics. He went on to say of this discipline that "there are few, if any, branches of natural science which are not more or less dependent upon the great truths under consideration". He gave as an example the view that the body of an animal was essentially a heat engine, fueled by the food consumed.[11]

Bibliography edit

  • Richard Sears McCulloh (1844). Plan of organization for the Naval Observatory: submitted by request to the Secretary of the Navy, November 17th, 1843. J. & G.S. Gideon.
  • Richard Sears McCulloh, United States. National Bureau of Standards, United States. Congress Senate (1848). Reports from the Secretary of the Treasury: of scientific investigations in relation to sugar and hydrometers, made under the superintendence of Professor R. S. McCulloh. Wendell and Van Benthuysen, Printers.
  • Richard Sears McCulloh (1849). A manual containing tables to be used by the revenue officers of the United States: with glass hydrometers, indicating the per cents by volume of alcohol in spirituous liquors, for determining their relative values, & c. L. Johnson & Co.
  • Richard Sears McCulloh (1851). Memorial of the Congress of the United States: requesting an investigation and legislation in relation to the new method for refining gold. John T. Robinson, printer.
  • Richard Sears McCulloh (1852). Report made to the Hon. Thomas Corwin, Secretary of the Treasury: by Professor R. S. McCulloh, of his operations at the mint of the United States, in refining California gold by his zinc method. Gideon & Co., Printers.
  • Richard Sears McCulloh (1853). The proceedings of the late director of the mint, in relation to the official misconduct of Franklin Peale, Esq., chief coiner, and other abuses in the mint. YA Pamphlet Collection (Library of Congress).
  • Richard Sears McCulloh. On the present state of knowledge of the chemistry and physiology of the sugar cane, and of saccharine substances.
  • Richard Sears McCulloh (1872). Lectures on the mechanical theory of heat, and the steam engine ..., Part 1.
  • R.S. McCulloh (1876). Treatise on the mechanical theory of heat and its applications to the steam-engine, etc. New York: D. Van Nostrand.

References edit

  1. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  2. ^ a b Shearer 2006, pp. 570.
  3. ^ Columbia University 1868, pp. 120.
  4. ^ Williams 2006.
  5. ^ Singer 2003.
  6. ^ a b "1870 CENSUS TOWN OF LEXINGTON AND TOWNSHIP OF LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA" (PDF). Virginia Military Institute. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  7. ^ Frost 2000, pp. 72.
  8. ^ McCulloh 1844, pp. 1.
  9. ^ McCulloh 1848, pp. 1.
  10. ^ McCulloh 1851, pp. 21.
  11. ^ McCulloh 1876, pp. 267.

Source bibliography edit

  • Columbia University (1868). Resolutions adopted by the Trustees of Columbia College ... Printed for the Trustees. p. 120.
  • Frost, Dan R. (2000). Thinking confederates: academia and the idea of progress in the New South. Univ. of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1-57233-104-6.
  • McCulloh, Richard Sears (1844). Plan of organization for the Naval Observatory: submitted by request to the Secretary of the Navy, November 17th, 1843. J. & G.S. Gideon.
  • McCulloh, Richard Sears (1848). Reports from the Secretary of the Treasury: of scientific investigations in relation to sugar and hydrometers, made under the superintendence of Professor R. S. McCulloh. Wendell and Van Benthuysen, Printers.
  • McCulloh, Richard Sears (1851). Memorial of the Congress of the United States: requesting an investigation and legislation in relation to the new method for refining gold. John T. Robinson. p. 21.
  • McCulloh, Richard Sears (1876). Treatise on the mechanical theory of heat and its applications to the steam-engine, etc. New York: D. Van Nostrand.
  • Shearer, Benjamin F., ed. (2006). "McCulloh, Richard Sears (1818–1894)". Home front heroes: a biographical dictionary of Americans during wartime. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 570–571. ISBN 978-0-313-04705-3.
  • Singer, Jane (2003-06-01). "The Fiend in Gray". The Washington Post. pp. W18. Retrieved 2010-12-09.[permanent dead link]
  • Williams, Jonathan M. (May–June 2006). "review of The Confederate Dirty War: Arson, Bombings, Assassination, and Plots for Chemical and Germ Attacks on the Union". Military Review. Retrieved 2010-12-08.

Further reading edit

  • Thomas, Milton Halsey (November 1947). "Professor McCulloh of Princeton, Columbia, and Points South". Princeton University Library Chronicle. 9 (1): 17–29. doi:10.2307/26401658. JSTOR 26401658.
  • Miles, Wyndham D.; Gould, Robert F., eds. (1976). "Richard Sears McCulloh". American chemists and chemical engineers. Vol. 1. American Chemical Society. pp. 325 et seq. ISBN 978-0-8412-0278-8.
  • Singer, Jane (2005). The Confederate dirty war: arson, bombings, assassination and plots for chemical and germ attacks on the Union. McFarland & Company. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-7864-1973-9.

November 28, 2023
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Richard Sears McCulloh 18 March 1818 1894 was an American civil engineer and professor of mechanics and thermodynamics at the Washington and Lee University Lexington Virginia Contents 1 Career 2 Work 3 Bibliography 4 References 4 1 Source bibliography 5 Further readingCareer editMcCulloh was born on 18 March 1818 in Baltimore Maryland United States He graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1836 then studied chemistry in Philadelphia with James Curtis Booth from 1838 to 1839 From 1846 to 1849 he worked for the U S Mint in Philadelphia He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1846 1 McCulloh was appointed professor of natural philosophy at Princeton University on 24 October 1849 and then professor of natural and experimental philosophy at Columbia College on 3 April 1854 2 During the American Civil War McCulloh disappeared from New York after the draft riots and in October 1863 McCulloh went to Richmond Virginia to become the consulting chemist of the Confederate Nitre and Mining Bureau 2 In response Columbia College expelled him from his professorship 3 While in Richmond he helped the Confederacy in making a chemical weapon 4 His experiments in creating a lethal gas were proved successful in February 1865 but before the weapon could be used in practice Richmond fell in April 1865 McCulloh fled the city but was captured two months later off the coast of Florida and for almost two years was imprisoned in the Virginia State Penitentiary 5 After being released in 1866 McCulloh was appointed to the new McCormick Professorship of Experimental Philosophy amp Applied Mathematics at Washington and Lee College He resigned later during financial retrenchment 6 In 1869 he was a member of a faculty committee that created an expensive plan for expanding the Washington College curriculum dramatically 7 In January 1870 he was a Professor of Natural Philosophy at Washington College 6 In 1878 McCulloh received an honorary doctorate of law degree from Washington and Lee University citation needed Work editMcCulloh was interested in a range of practical and scientific subjects He prepared a plan for organizing the naval observatory 8 He wrote on the use of hydrometers to measure sugar and alcohol content of liquids and wrote a treatise on electricity 9 He invented a method of refining California gold that involved combining the ore with zinc This invention was similar to an independent invention by his former teacher James Curtis Booth and the two men agreed to combine their inventions into a single patent which they sold to an interested industrialist 10 In 1876 a collection of McCulloh s lecture notes were published in a book entitled Treatise on the Mechanical Theory of Heat and its Application to the Steam Engine Etc McCulloh acknowledged the pioneering work of James Prescott Joule and Nicolas Leonard Sadi Carnot in establishing the laws of thermodynamics He went on to say of this discipline that there are few if any branches of natural science which are not more or less dependent upon the great truths under consideration He gave as an example the view that the body of an animal was essentially a heat engine fueled by the food consumed 11 Bibliography editRichard Sears McCulloh 1844 Plan of organization for the Naval Observatory submitted by request to the Secretary of the Navy November 17th 1843 J amp G S Gideon Richard Sears McCulloh United States National Bureau of Standards United States Congress Senate 1848 Reports from the Secretary of the Treasury of scientific investigations in relation to sugar and hydrometers made under the superintendence of Professor R S McCulloh Wendell and Van Benthuysen Printers Richard Sears McCulloh 1849 A manual containing tables to be used by the revenue officers of the United States with glass hydrometers indicating the per cents by volume of alcohol in spirituous liquors for determining their relative values amp c L Johnson amp Co Richard Sears McCulloh 1851 Memorial of the Congress of the United States requesting an investigation and legislation in relation to the new method for refining gold John T Robinson printer Richard Sears McCulloh 1852 Report made to the Hon Thomas Corwin Secretary of the Treasury by Professor R S McCulloh of his operations at the mint of the United States in refining California gold by his zinc method Gideon amp Co Printers Richard Sears McCulloh 1853 The proceedings of the late director of the mint in relation to the official misconduct of Franklin Peale Esq chief coiner and other abuses in the mint YA Pamphlet Collection Library of Congress Richard Sears McCulloh On the present state of knowledge of the chemistry and physiology of the sugar cane and of saccharine substances Richard Sears McCulloh 1872 Lectures on the mechanical theory of heat and the steam engine Part 1 R S McCulloh 1876 Treatise on the mechanical theory of heat and its applications to the steam engine etc New York D Van Nostrand References edit APS Member History search amphilsoc org Retrieved 2021 04 12 a b Shearer 2006 pp 570 Columbia University 1868 pp 120 Williams 2006 Singer 2003 a b 1870 CENSUS TOWN OF LEXINGTON AND TOWNSHIP OF LEXINGTON VIRGINIA PDF Virginia Military Institute Retrieved 2010 12 09 Frost 2000 pp 72 McCulloh 1844 pp 1 McCulloh 1848 pp 1 McCulloh 1851 pp 21 McCulloh 1876 pp 267 Source bibliography edit Columbia University 1868 Resolutions adopted by the Trustees of Columbia College Printed for the Trustees p 120 Frost Dan R 2000 Thinking confederates academia and the idea of progress in the New South Univ of Tennessee Press ISBN 1 57233 104 6 McCulloh Richard Sears 1844 Plan of organization for the Naval Observatory submitted by request to the Secretary of the Navy November 17th 1843 J amp G S Gideon McCulloh Richard Sears 1848 Reports from the Secretary of the Treasury of scientific investigations in relation to sugar and hydrometers made under the superintendence of Professor R S McCulloh Wendell and Van Benthuysen Printers McCulloh Richard Sears 1851 Memorial of the Congress of the United States requesting an investigation and legislation in relation to the new method for refining gold John T Robinson p 21 McCulloh Richard Sears 1876 Treatise on the mechanical theory of heat and its applications to the steam engine etc New York D Van Nostrand Shearer Benjamin F ed 2006 McCulloh Richard Sears 1818 1894 Home front heroes a biographical dictionary of Americans during wartime Greenwood Publishing Group pp 570 571 ISBN 978 0 313 04705 3 Singer Jane 2003 06 01 The Fiend in Gray The Washington Post pp W18 Retrieved 2010 12 09 permanent dead link Williams Jonathan M May June 2006 review of The Confederate Dirty War Arson Bombings Assassination and Plots for Chemical and Germ Attacks on the Union Military Review Retrieved 2010 12 08 Further reading editThomas Milton Halsey November 1947 Professor McCulloh of Princeton Columbia and Points South Princeton University Library Chronicle 9 1 17 29 doi 10 2307 26401658 JSTOR 26401658 Miles Wyndham D Gould Robert F eds 1976 Richard Sears McCulloh American chemists and chemical engineers Vol 1 American Chemical Society pp 325 et seq ISBN 978 0 8412 0278 8 Singer Jane 2005 The Confederate dirty war arson bombings assassination and plots for chemical and germ attacks on the Union McFarland amp Company p 102 ISBN 978 0 7864 1973 9 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Richard Sears McCulloh amp oldid 1178513501, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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