Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Smith, Edgar Fahs

SMITH, EDGAR FAHS, an American chemist and educator, born in York, Pa., in 1856. He graduated from Pennsylvania College in 1874 and took post-graduate studies in Germany. For several years he served as instructor at the University of Pennsylvania and as professor at Muhlenberg and Wittenberg colleges. From 1888 to 1911 he was professor of

chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. He was appointed vice-provost of the University in 1899, and provost in 1911, retiring in 1920. He was president of the American Chemical Society, and was a member of other scientific societies. He wrote many books on chemical subjects, including &ldquo;Theories of Chemistry&rdquo; (1913); &ldquo;Chemistry in America&rdquo; (1914); &ldquo;Chemistry in Old Philadelphia&rdquo; (1918), and &ldquo;James Cutbush&rdquo; (1919).