James A. Rafferty

Last updated
Portrait of James A. Rafferty (1886-1951), Chemical Industrialist with Union Carbide Portrait of James A. Rafferty.tif
Portrait of James A. Rafferty (1886-1951), Chemical Industrialist with Union Carbide

James A. Rafferty, Vice President, Officers' Committee member, [2] Director, and member of the executive committee of Union Carbide, was an important figure in the petrochemical industry. Rafferty guided Union Carbide's effort in developing the new industry of synthetic aliphatic chemicals (aliphatic compounds are one of the two main branches within organic chemistry) and was instrumental in the development of the liquid oxygen industry. [3] [4] Rafferty directed Union Carbide's collaboration with the United States government for the Manhattan Project [5] [6] and with the War Production Board for the synthetic rubber [7] program during World War II. [8] [1] [9]

Contents

Rafferty was born in Chicago, Illinois on May 4, 1886, and studied engineering and chemistry at the Illinois Institute of Technology (where Rafferty would later become a Trustee [10] [9] ). After graduation in 1908, Rafferty worked for the People's Gas, Light, and Coke Company and then in 1917 joined the Linde Air Products Company, which later merged with three other companies to become Union Carbide. [1] [9]

Rafferty became general manager of the newly formed Union Carbide subsidiary, the Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation (CCCC) in 1920. He became vice president in 1924, President in 1929, and chairman of the board in 1944. He was made president of the Bakelite Corporation in 1939 and Chairman of Bakelite in 1944. Under Rafferty's leadership, Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation went on to become the second largest [11] chemical company in the United States by 1948. [3] [9]

Rafferty became a Vice President of Union Carbide, the parent company of the CCCC, in 1938, a Director in 1941, and a member of the executive committee in 1944. [1] [9] Rafferty served as Chairman of the Union Carbide's new product development committee until his death on December 19, 1951. [3]

As a result of lifetime achievements, Rafferty was awarded the Chemical Industry Medal in 1948. [12] [13] [14]

The Manhattan Project

Under the auspices of the Manhattan Project, [15] Rafferty directed Union Carbide's efforts to enrich uranium (some of which was mined by another Union Carbide subsidiary: the United States Vanadium Corporation) for use in an atomic bomb. This effort culminated in Union Carbide designing (along with the Kellex Corporation), building, and operating the massive K-25 gaseous diffusion plant at Oak Ridge. [5] [3] [9] [13]

General Leslie Groves wrote of Rafferty: [8] [6] [4]

"No one outside the project can ever appreciate how much we depended on you and how well you performed you well-nigh impossible task." [8]

"Few men were more important in the production of the atomic bomb than he was." [6]

- General Leslie R. Groves

Stéphane Groueff, in his book chronicling the Manhattan Project, [5] [16] [17] [18] had this to say about Rafferty:

In every company he dealt with, [Leslie] Groves had a general rule: always try to deal directly with the person who could issue an order that nobody else could countermand. And this did not necessarily mean the president or the chairman of the board. Every company was run in a different way, and often it took some inquiring to find out who was the driving spirit, the executive with the real power of authority in a large corporation.

However, at Union Carbide, even though it was a huge organization with several, nearly autonomous subsidiaries, Groves did not have to search very far. It was common knowledge at Union Carbide that one of the driving forces behind the company's spectacular growth was the executive vice-president, James A. Rafferty.

…

"In recognition of his being 'the workhorse of the Carbide backfield,' " read an article in Chemical and Engineering News, "Rafferty was made vice-president of Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation, the parent corporation of all Carbide units, in 1939. This did little to destroy the idea held by some, however, that over 100 men named James A. Rafferty worked for Union Carbide and its many units." [19]

An executive with drive and vision, Rafferty contributed tremendously to the birth and fantastic growth of a new industry in America: synthetics made from petroleum rather than from coal, as they had been formerly. In his field, Rafferty was hailed as one of the great "makers of the chemical industry." To him the word synthetic denoted something worthy: a material of uniform quality, designed for a particular purpose; a man-made product far superior to a natural material.

When Leslie Groves was ushered into Rafferty's oak-paneled office, the two men liked each other at sight. Groves realized immediately that he was talking to someone who loved action and efficiency, a man who would push things ahead. As for Rafferty, he was a firm believer in the American system of free enterprise and the importance of industry's participation in the war effort. It was not difficult for the general to convince Rafferty that his corporation should help the Manhattan Project. "The American chemical industry thus far has benefited tremendously from the stimulating atmosphere of American free enterprise," Rafferty used to say. "During several visits to Europe, I studied industries abroad and compared them with our own. I feel that the well-being and national security of a nation is in proportion to the success and extent of its industries." [11] Rafferty was impressed by Groves's earnest persuasion; he promised to discuss the matter with the top people of those Carbide units that would be involved. [5]

- Groueff, Stéphane. Manhattan Project: The Untold Story of the Making of the Atomic Bomb. [1st ed.] Boston, Little, Brown, 1967.

On June 1, 1945, prominent industrialists, including Rafferty, were invited to the second meeting of the Interim Committee. [20] The industrialists were introduced to the committee as follows: [21]

Mr. George H. Bucher, President of Westinghouse - manufacture of equipment for the electromagnetic process.

Mr. Walter S. Carpenter, President of Du Pont Company - construction of the Hanford Project.

Mr. James Rafferty, Vice President of Union Carbide - construction and operation of gas diffusion plant in Clinton.

Mr. James White, President of Tennessee Eastman - production of basic chemicals and construction of the RDX plant at Holston, Tennessee.

Tennessee Eastman also managed and operated the Y-12 facility at Oak Ridge. In 1947 Union Carbide took over the operation of Y-12.

The graphite for the Hanford B Reactor as well as the Oak Ridge X-10 Reactor was produced by another Union Carbide subsidiary National Carbon Company. [22]

World War II: Synthetic Rubber Program

After Pearl Harbor, the United States was effectively cut off from its supply of natural rubber and a large scale synthetic rubber production process needed to be invented and commercialized. Rafferty led Union Carbide's efforts in producing butadiene which would then be polymerized in a synthetic rubber production process.

The Baruch Committee in 1941 had reported to President Roosevelt: "Of all critical and strategic materials, rubber is the one which presents the greatest threat to the safety of our nation and the success of the Allied cause. If we fail to secure a large new rubber supply quickly, our war effort and domestic economy will collapse."

William M. Jeffers, leader of Union Pacific Railroad and first Rubber Director [23] for the War Production Board, had this to say of Rafferty:

As my final contribution to the rubber program, I want to say to you with all sincerity that had it not been for you and your great organization, the people who look upon rubber as tires would have been forced to the conclusion that the rubber program was more or less of a failure and so I feel it is fair to say and it is accurate to say that had it not been for the contribution of Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation, this program could not have succeeded. [4] -William M. Jeffers

Bradley Dewey, co-founder of the Dewey & Almy Chemical Company and the second Rubber Director [24] for the War Production Board, said of Rafferty:

Before winding up my affairs with the synthetic rubber program, I wish to express my appreciation for the magnificent performance of your organization in the production of raw materials for the GR-S [general-purpose synthetic rubbers formed by copolymerization of emulsions of styrene and butadiene; used in tires and other rubber products; previously also known as Buna-S, currently known as SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber)]. [25] [26] The Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation should be extremely proud of the part it has played in the success of the synthetic rubber program. Without you this country might well have met with disaster. [7] [8] [4] - Bradley Dewey

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diene</span> Covalent compound that contains two double bonds

In organic chemistry, a diene ; also diolefin, dy-OH-lə-fin) or alkadiene) is a covalent compound that contains two double bonds, usually among carbon atoms. They thus contain two alkene units, with the standard prefix di of systematic nomenclature. As a subunit of more complex molecules, dienes occur in naturally occurring and synthetic chemicals and are used in organic synthesis. Conjugated dienes are widely used as monomers in the polymer industry. Polyunsaturated fats are of interest to nutrition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Carbide</span> American chemical company

Union Carbide Corporation is an American chemical corporation which is a wholly owned subsidiary by Dow Chemical Company. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume commodities and others are specialty products meeting the needs of smaller markets. Markets served include paints and coatings, packaging, wire and cable, household products, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, textiles, agriculture, and oil and gas. The company is a former component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James B. Conant</span> American chemist (1893–1978)

James Bryant Conant was an American chemist, a transformative President of Harvard University, and the first U.S. Ambassador to West Germany. Conant obtained a Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard in 1916. During World War I, he served in the U.S. Army, where he worked on the development of poison gases, especially Lewisite. He became an assistant professor of chemistry at Harvard University in 1919 and the Sheldon Emery Professor of Organic Chemistry in 1929. He researched the physical structures of natural products, particularly chlorophyll, and he was one of the first to explore the sometimes complex relationship between chemical equilibrium and the reaction rate of chemical processes. He studied the biochemistry of oxyhemoglobin providing insight into the disease methemoglobinemia, helped to explain the structure of chlorophyll, and contributed important insights that underlie modern theories of acid-base chemistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K-25</span> Manhattan Project codename for a program to produce enriched uranium

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polybutadiene</span> Type of synthetic rubber formed from the polymerization of butadiene

Polybutadiene [butadiene rubber BR] is a synthetic rubber. Polybutadiene rubber is a polymer formed from the polymerization of the monomer 1,3-butadiene. Polybutadiene has a high resistance to wear and is used especially in the manufacture of tires, which consumes about 70% of the production. Another 25% is used as an additive to improve the toughness of plastics such as polystyrene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Polybutadiene rubber accounted for about a quarter of total global consumption of synthetic rubbers in 2012. It is also used to manufacture golf balls, various elastic objects and to coat or encapsulate electronic assemblies, offering high electrical resistivity. Polybutadiene is typically crosslinked with sulphur, however, it has also been shown that it can be UV cured when bis-benzophenone additives are incorporated into the formulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UOP LLC</span>

Honeywell UOP, formerly known as UOP LLC or Universal Oil Products, is an American multi-national company developing and delivering technology to the petroleum refining, gas processing, petrochemical production, and major manufacturing industries.

Rubbertown is a neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, located along the Ohio River. During World War II, it became the home of many industrial plants which remained after the war and led to its name. Its largest businesses include American Synthetic Rubber, Borden Chemical, DuPont Dow Elastomers, Noveon, Dow Chemical, and Zeon Chemicals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Historic Chemical Landmarks</span> Historical Society

The National Historic Chemical Landmarks program was launched by the American Chemical Society in 1992 to recognize significant achievements in the history of chemistry and related professions. The program celebrates the centrality of chemistry. The designation of such generative achievements in the history of chemistry demonstrates how chemists have benefited society by fulfilling the ACS vision: Improving people's lives through the transforming power of chemistry. The program occasionally designates International Historic Chemical Landmarks to commemorate "chemists and chemistry from around the world that have had a major impact in the United States".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Allen Thomas</span> American chemist (1900–1982)

Charles Allen Thomas was a noted American chemist and businessman, and an important figure in the Manhattan Project. He held over 100 patents.

The Atomic Heritage Foundation (AHF) is a nonprofit organization originally based in Washington, DC, dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Manhattan Project and the Atomic Age and its legacy. Founded by Cynthia Kelly in 2002, the Foundation's stated goal is, "to provide the public not only a better understanding of the past but also a basis for addressing scientific, technical, political, social and ethical issues of the 21st century." AHF works with Congress, the Department of Energy, the National Park Service, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations and the former Manhattan Project communities to preserve and interpret historic sites and develop useful and accessible educational materials for veterans, teachers, and the general public. In June 2019, the Atomic Heritage Foundation and the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History signed an agreement that granted stewardship of the Atomic Heritage Foundation website and all of the AHF's physical collections to the museum. The Atomic Heritage Foundation website is now run by the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. Additionally, the museum now houses the Atomic Heritage Foundation's physical collections which will eventually be integrated into the Nuclear Museum's own collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Matthias</span> American nuclear engineer (1908–1993)

Franklin Thompson Matthias was an American civil engineer who directed the construction of the Hanford nuclear site, a key facility of the Manhattan Project during World War II.

Crawford Hallock Greenewalt was an American chemical engineer who served as president of the DuPont Company from 1948 to 1962 and as board chairman from 1962 to 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarence Larson</span> American nuclear chemist (1909–1999)

Clarence Edward Larson was an American chemist, nuclear physicist and industrial leader. He was involved in the Manhattan Project, and was later director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kellex Corporation</span> American nuclear materials company

The Kellex Corporation was a wholly owned subsidiary of M. W. Kellogg Company. Kellex was formed in 1942 so that Kellogg's operations relating to the Manhattan Project could be kept separate and secret. "Kell" stood for "Kellogg" and "X" for secret. The new company's goal was to design a facility for the production of enriched uranium through gaseous diffusion. In gaseous diffusion, isotopes of Uranium-235 could be separated from Uranium-238 by turning uranium metal into uranium hexafluoride gas and straining it through a barrier material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Goodyear Medal</span> Award

The Charles Goodyear Medal is the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society, Rubber Division. Established in 1941, the award is named after Charles Goodyear, the discoverer of vulcanization, and consists of a gold medal, a framed certificate and prize money. The medal honors individuals for "outstanding invention, innovation, or development which has resulted in a significant change or contribution to the nature of the rubber industry". Awardees give a lecture at an ACS Rubber Division meeting, and publish a review of their work in the society's scientific journal Rubber Chemistry and Technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boots Adams</span> American business executive

Kenneth Stanley "Boots" Adams was an American business executive, University of Kansas booster, and civic philanthropist of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Adams began his career with the Phillips Petroleum Company in 1920 as a clerk in the warehouse department. Twelve years later, he was chosen by founder and president Frank Phillips to fill the newly created position of Assistant to the President. On April 26, 1938, Adams was elected president of Phillips Petroleum Company by the unanimous vote of the company's Board of Directors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumho Petrochemical</span> South Korean multinational chemical company

Kumho Petrochemical Co., Ltd. is a multinational chemical company based in South Korea, with headquarters in Seoul. It was founded in 1970 when Kumho Group struggled to secure raw materials for its bus and tire businesses. Kumho Petrochemical has a global market leadership in the manufacturing of synthetic rubbers with the world's largest production capacity based on SBR and BR by IISRP 2012. It focuses on synthetic rubbers, synthetic resins, specialty chemicals, electronic chemicals, energy, building materials and advanced materials as its core business.

The Chemical Industry Medal is an annual American award given to an industrial chemist by the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). The medal has been awarded since 1933, when it replaced the Grasselli Medal. It was initially given to "a person making a valuable application of chemical research to industry. Primary consideration shall be given to applications in the public interest." As of 1945, the criterion became "a person who ... has rendered conspicuous service to applied chemistry." More recently it has been awarded "for contributions toward the growth of the chemical industry."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Aaron Hill</span>

Henry Aaron Hill was an American chemist who became the first African American president of the American Chemical Society (ACS). As a scientist, he specialized in the chemistry of fluorocarbons.

Buna Werke Schkopau were a chemical company specialising in the production of polymer materials such as plastics and artificial rubber. The name BUNA is derived from the technology of polymerising butadiene with sodium as a catalyst.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Portrait of James A. Rafferty (1886-1951)". Science History Institute Digital Collections. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  2. ↑ Fortune Magazine 1941-06: Vol 23 Iss 6. Internet Archive. Time Incorporated. June 1941.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 authors, Various (1951), English: Union Carbide memo describing contributions of James A. Rafferty to the company at the time of his death (PDF), retrieved 2022-12-31
  4. 1 2 3 4 authors, Various (1948), English: A speech given by the President of Union Carbide during the SCI Chemical Industry Award presentation to James A Rafferty in 1948 (PDF), retrieved 2022-12-31
  5. 1 2 3 4 Groueff, Stéphane (1967). Manhattan Project; the untold story of the making of the atomic bomb. Internet Archive. New York, Bantam Books.
  6. 1 2 3 authors, Various (1946), English: A letter from General Leslie Groves to James A. Rafferty about his contribution to the WWII effort and in particular Uranium enrichment (PDF), retrieved 2022-12-31
  7. 1 2 authors, Various (1946), English: A letter from Bradley Dewey head of the WW2 rubber board to James A Rafferty about his contribution to the synthetic rubber war effort (PDF), retrieved 2022-12-31
  8. 1 2 3 4 James A. Rafferty Letters.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "J. A. RAFFERTY DIES; INDUSTRIALIST, 65; Outstanding Figure in Atomic Energy and Synthetic Rubber Was Union Carbide Official". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  10. ↑ Rafferty, James (1949). Industry and Private Educational Institutions. Illinois Institute of Technology Paul V. Galvin Library. IIT Dept. of Public Relations.
  11. 1 2 authors, Various (1948), English: James A. Rafferty speech during SCI Chemical Industry award presentation in 1948 (PDF), retrieved 2022-12-31
  12. ↑ "Chemical Industry Medal". www.soci.org. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  13. 1 2 authors, Various (1948), English: A speech given by the President of Union Carbide during the SCI Chemical Industry Award presentation to James A Rafferty in 1948 (PDF), retrieved 2022-12-31
  14. ↑ "Honored by U.S. Chemists With '48 Industry Medal". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  15. ↑ "James A. Rafferty - Nuclear Museum". ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  16. ↑ "Lauchlin M. Currie's Interview - Nuclear Museum". ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  17. ↑ "General Kenneth Nichols's Interview - Part 3 - Nuclear Museum". ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  18. ↑ "Percival Keith's Interview - Nuclear Museum". ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  19. ↑ "James A. Rafferty". Chemical & Engineering News Archive. 26 (46): 3407. 1948-11-15. doi:10.1021/cen-v026n046.p3407. ISSN   0009-2347.
  20. ↑ "Manhattan Project: Debate Over How to Use the Bomb, 1945". www.osti.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  21. ↑ Houghton, Vincent. "THE PRINCIPAL UNCERTAINTY: U.S. ATOMIC INTELLIGENCE, 1942-1949" (PDF). pp. 248–250.
  22. ↑ "Lauchlin M. Currie's Interview - Nuclear Museum". ahf.nuclearmuseum.org/. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  23. ↑ "SAYS RUBBER MAKING WILL BE SURE IN YEAR; Jeffers Predicts Next Spring Will See Us 'Over the Hump'". The New York Times. 1943-04-07. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  24. ↑ "RUBBER TASK IS MET, SAYS NEW DIRECTOR; Bradley Dewey Tells Chemists Nation Is Now Assured of All Essential Tires ALL MILLS OPEN BY JAN. 1 Dr. Frolich Scoffs at Talk of Oil Running Low, Says 300-Year Supply Is Likely". The New York Times. 1943-09-09. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  25. ↑ "GR-S rubber". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  26. ↑ "McGraw-Hill dictionary of scientific and technical terms". Choice Reviews Online. 40 (07): 40–3762-40-3762. 2003-03-01. doi:10.5860/choice.40-3762. ISSN   0009-4978.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.