Page:Men of Mark in America vol 2.djvu/475

Rh fessorship of chemistry at Purdue university, and in the Indiana Medical college. After his return from Berlin, he was state chemist of Indiana until 1883. In this year he was appointed chief of the bureau of chemistry, department of agriculture, at Washington, District of Columbia, which position he still holds in 1906.

In 1895 he accepted the chair of agricultural chemistry in the graduate school of Columbian (now George Washington) university. In 1900 the distinguished title of Chevalier de Mérite Agricole was conferred upon him by the Republic of France. He was also made an honorary member of the Franklin Institute.

In 1864 he served in the Civil war for five months, in the 137th regiment Indiana volunteer infantry. He has never married. His scientific papers are very numerous, embracing manifold subjects. Doctor Wiley is a member of the Cosmos and Chevy Chase clubs, Washington, District of Columbia, and the French, German and American Chemical Societies and many others. His party is the Republican. History, classic novels and the standard poets have been his favorite reading, and his amusements are baseball, driving an automobile, and chess. His own choice led him to the study of chemistry, and "the desire to make my father and mother proud of me" was the first strong incentive to study and ambition to excel. He says, "I have accomplished very little of what I intended to do." "Be honest, faithful, diligent and tenacious in whatever you attempt, doing the most trivial things well." His publications are: "Songs of Agricultural Chemists" (1892); "Principles and Practice of Agricultural Chemistry" (3 vols., 1897); and more than two hundred scientific papers and addresses; and he often makes after-dinner speeches—which he thinks "should be witty as well as wise." His address is 1314 Tenth street, Washington, District of Columbia.