Wilbur Olin Atwater papers

Collection

Identifier: 1000-219

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The papers focus on Atwater's research and printed works, most of which was done on the state level as Director of the Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station, or on the national level as a leader or participant in many US government programs, including the Office of Experiment Stations in the United States Department of Agriculture. A small amount of Atwater's personal materials are found within this collection, including a journal recording his travels to Europe in 1869.

The bulk of the collection is Atwater's incoming and outgoing research related correspondence, some of which is written in German or French. Most of the outgoing correspondence is recorded in letterpress books. The correspondence is largely between Atwater and magazine publishers, government officials regarding agricultural matters, administrators and staff from experiment station programs across the nation and world, museum curators, and general queries from farmers and citizens interested in Atwater's works or opinions on agricultural or nutritional matters. Found scattered throughout the incoming and outgoing correspondence are letters to and from family and friends or letters related to family matters.

Atwater's research and printed works focus on the chemical compositions of soils and fertilizers, chemical compositions and nutritive values of plants, fish, meats, grains, breads, dairy products, alcohol and the effects of each on the human body. These materials are found in the form of notes, reports, articles, books, data tables, newspaper clippings and correspondence. A small amount of scientific material printed by others is also included.

Of note is the sub-series Temperance found under Series III: Research & Related Materials. This sub-series includes Atwater's research, notes, correspondence and printed material related to the temperance movement. Also included is material printed by others (single authors or groups) related to the temperance movement including the National Temperance Society, the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Connecticut Temperance Union.

The papers were found in the attic of the Scott Laboratory of Physics in the 1950s and in the 1960s, Professor Karl Van Dyke began separating out some of the papers. In 1962, select papers were transferred to Cornell University, were arranged chronologically and microfilmed. Those that were microfilmed can be identified with a number 2 that was stamped on the back. The papers were returned to Van Dyke and were received by the Wesleyan Archives after Van Dyke’s death in October 1966. In an attempt to highlight incoming correspondence by key figures, an inventory of such correspondence was created by staff of the Special Collections & Archives which can be found in the Scope Note of Series I.

Dates

Creation: 1869-1915

Creator

Atwater, W. O. (Wilbur Olin), 1844-1907 (Person)
Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

In public domain - No Copyright - United States

Biographical / Historical

Wilbur Olin Atwater (1844-1905), class of 1865, devoted his time and energy to the stud of agriculture chemistry, human metabolism, and the nutritive values of plants, fish, meats, breads, dairy products and alcohol. Born in Johnsburg, New York, on May 3, 1844, Atwater studied at the University of Vermont before attending Wesleyan University where he received a B.A. in 1865. Atwater earned a Ph.D. from the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University in 1869 and began his teaching career at the University of Tennessee and the University of Maine before returning to Wesleyan in 1873 to teach as a professor of chemistry.

While teaching at Wesleyan, Atwater continued to contribute to the study of agricultural science. In 1875, Atwater established the first agricultural experiment station in the country to research and improve farming. He was named Director of the second experiment station in the state located at Storrs and served as its director from 1888-1892. Atwater also wrote numerous articles for leading scientific periodicals detailing his research and findings in physiological chemistry and agricultural chemistry. Many of Atwater's articles appeared under the column "Science Applied to Farming" discussing the use of fertilizers in the American Agriculturalist, a magazine run by Orange Judd, class of 1847.

Atwater later focused his studies and experiments on the chemical composition and nutritive values of foods. It was then that he teamed with Wesleyan Professor of Physics, Edward Bennett Rosa, class of 1886, and Professor of Chemistry Francis G. Benedict, to develop the Atwater-Rosa Respiration Calorimeter. Housed in Judd Hall at Wesleyan, the respiration calorimeter was used to calculate the caloric values of foods and conduct experiments on human metabolism. Atwater also studied the nutritional vale of alcohol, receiving much criticism for his findings from temperance organizations and supporters.

In 1904 Atwater suffered a stroke and was unable to conduct any further work. He died on September 22, 1907.

Chronology List

1844 May 3 Born in Johnsburg, New York. Parents: William Warren Atwater and Eliza Barnes

1865 Earns B.A. at Wesleyan University

1868-1869 Attends Yale University, studies agricultural chemistry under Dr. Samuel W. Johnson

1869 Earns a Ph. D. from Yale - Thesis: The Proximate Composition of Several Varieties of American Maize

1869-1871 Studies agriculture and physiological chemistry at the Universities of Leipzig and Berlin and learns European agricultural experiment stations

1871-1872 Professor of Chemistry at East Tennessee University (now University of Tennessee)

1872-1873 Professor of Chemistry at Maine State College (now University of Maine)

1873 Marries Marcia Woodard of Bangor, Maine

1873-1907 Professor of Chemistry at Wesleyan University

1875 Establishes first state agricultural station in Middletown, served as Director

1875-1881 Contributes to the American Agriculturist a series of nearly seventy articles on agricultural chemistry under the title of Science Applied to Farming.

1884-1892 Serves as Honorary Curator, Section of Foods, United States National Museum (now the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)

1887 Visits Vort's laboratory in Munich and meets Max Rubner

1888 Appointed Director of the Office of Experiment Stations for the United States Department of Agriculture and institutes new publications: Experiment Station Record and Farmer's Bulletin

1888-1892 Appointed Director of the Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station

1891 Resigns as Director of Experiment Stations for the United States Department of Agriculture due to the increased demand on Atwater's time and his refusal to give up teaching and research. Appointed Special Agent in charge of nutrition programs for the United States Department of Agriculture.

1891-1892 Travels to Europe

1892-1897 Helps to develop the Atwater-Rosa calorimeter which conducts experiments to calculate the caloric values of foods and human metabolism in the basement of Judd Hall at Wesleyan University

1907 September 22 Dies in Middletown, CT

Extent

29.25 Linear Feet (33 hollinger boxes, 31 half hollinger boxes, and 5 flat oversize hollinger boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Wilbur Olin Atwater papers highlight the scientific research and works of Wesleyan University's chemistry professor, who also established the first agricultural experiment station in the country, served as director of the Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station and director of the Office of Experiment Stations for the United States Department of Agriculture. Atwater's research and work focuses on the chemical compositions of soils and fertilizers, the nutritive values of foods and the metabolism of the human body. Atwater is best known for his role in calculating caloric values of foods using the Atwater-Rosa Calorimeter which he developed with Wesleyan Professor of Physics, Edward B. Rosa, and Professor of Chemistry, Francis G. Benedict. Spanning from 1869-1915, items in this collection include correspondence, letterpress books, manuscripts, notes, reports, articles, books, data tables, publications, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, leaflets, and photographs.

Arrangement

The papers are arranged into five series. The material is generally arranged chronologically.

Series I: Correspondence - incoming, 1872-1914 Series II: Correspondence - outgoing, 1873-1904 Series III: Research & related materials, 1869-1911 Series IV: Personal, 1869-1915 Series V: Photographs, 1902

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquired in 1966.

Related Materials

The Atwater family papers, 1843-1943, were given to Special Collections & Archives in 1966 by Catherine Merriam Atwater Galbraith (Atwater's granddaughter). The papers consist of publications, personal papers and letters of Wilbur Olin Atwater, Marcia Woodard Atwater (his wife), William Atwater (his father), Helen Woodard Atwater (his daughter) and Charles Woodard Atwater (his son).

The Atwater family addition to papers, 1788-2003, was a gift to Special Collections & Archives in 2008 & 2009 by the estate of Catherine Merriam Atwater Galbraith (Atwater's granddaughter) via J. Alan Galbraith, executor. The papers consist of personal papers and letters of Wilbur Olin Atwater, Marcia Woodard Atwater (his wife), William Atwater (his father), Helen Atwater (his daughter), Charles Atwater (his son), Alice Caroline Merriam Atwater (his daughter-in-law), Catherine Merriam Atwater Galbraith (his granddaughter) and Charles Woodard Atwater, Jr. (his grandson).

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