Atwater family papers

Wilbur O. Atwater (May 3, 1844-Sept. 22, 1907) was born the son of Minister William Atwater and Eliza Barnes Atwater in the small town of Johnsburg, New York. After growing up in Vermont and spending his first two years of college at the University of Vermont, he transferred to Wesleyan University and received his BA in 1865. He went on to receive his M.A. (1868) and Ph.D. (1869) from Yale University, studying agricultural chemistry; he later obtained his LL. D. from the University of Vermont (1904). A world-renowned chemist, particularly in agricultural chemistry, he is best known for his role in the development of the Calorimeter, which enabled the calculation of caloric content in food items. In 1874 he married Marcia Woodard; they had two children, Helen Woodard and Charles Woodard. He became a Professor at Wesleyan University in 1873 and he remained at the post until his death in 1907.

Helen Woodard Atwater (May 29, 1876-1947) was born in Somerville, Massachusetts to Wilbur Olin Atwater and Marcia Woodard Atwater. She received her B.A. from Smith College, a graduate of the class of 1897. She then became an editorial assistant to her father, which entailed preparing his material for publications. The experience provided her with an expansive knowledge of issues of nutrition as well as the opportunity to publish some of her own popular work on the subject. In 1909 she went on to spend the next fourteen years working as a scientific consultant for the Office of Home Economics in the United State Department of Agriculture; she wrote and edited bulletins relating to food, nutrition and other issues of home economics. During World War I she was placed on the Women's Committee of the Council of National Defense as the Executive Chairman of Food Production and Home Economics. When she left the Department in 1923, she joined the American Home Economics Association in Washington, D.C., becoming the first full-time editor of their official publication, The Journal of Home Economics. The Journal was a prestigious publication dealing with issues in the growing field of Home Economics. Through her position in the Association she was able to shape the organization's policies and image. She remained with the Association for 18 years; during that time she held various positions, including secretary of the International Committee and alternate for the Women's Joint Congressional Committee, of which she was Chairman for two years. Furthermore, as a member of the White House Conference on Child Health and Protection, she worked with the President's Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership. She was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was extended honorary membership to Phi Upsilon Omicron and Omicron Nu. She passed away in 1947 having never married.

Charles Woodard Atwater (April 23, 1885-March 24, 1946) was the son of Wilbur Olin Atwater and Marcia Woodard Atwater, born nine years junior to his sister Helen Woodard. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1906 with a Ph. B. and Honors for general scholarship. He then went on to spend the next three years getting his law degree at Harvard Law School. In 1910 he moved to New York and began his law career; three years later he established his own law firm, Atwater and Clarke. From 1918-1919 he served as the Attorney General for the Southern District of New York. He also served as honorary consul and honorary consul general for Siam (Thailand) beginning in 1924. Charles married Alice Caroline Merriam on October 7, 1911. Together they had three children, Catherine Merriam (b. 1913), Robert Merriam (b. 1916) and Charles Woodard (b. 1920).