Charlotte Fitch Roberts
Charlotte Fitch Roberts | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 13, 1859 |
| Died | December 5, 1917 (aged 58) |
| Education | Yale |
| Occupation | Professor of chemistry |
Charlotte Fitch Roberts (February 13, 1859 – December 5, 1917) was an American chemist best known for her work on stereochemistry.[2]
Life
Roberts was born on February 13, 1859, in New York City to Horace Roberts and Mary Roberts (née Hart).[3] She was raised in Greenfield, Massachusetts.[4] During a time when few women pursued higher education, Roberts demonstrated an early interest in science, which would later lead her to study chemistry and contribute to the field of stereochemistry.[5]
Education and career
Roberts attended Wellesley College in 1880. Wellesley made her a graduate assistant in 1881, an instructor in 1882, and an associate professor in 1886. In 1885 she spent a year at Cambridge University working with Sir James Dewar,[6] a chemist and physicist. In 1896 she published The Development and Present Aspects of Stereochemistry.[7] She obtained a PhD from Yale in 1894 and a post at the University of Berlin from 1899 to 1900. Her Yale professor claimed that The Development and Present Aspects of Stereochemistry was "the clearest exposition of which we have knowledge of the principles and conditions of stereochemistry."[6] Roberts' PhD, in the field of chemistry, is historically notable for being the first in that particular field awarded to a female Yale student.[8] She was made a professor and the head of the chemistry department from 1896 to 1917 at Wellesley College.
Awards and professional bodies
Roberts was made a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a chemistry professorship at Wellesley now bears her name.[9]
References
- ^ Massachusetts, Death Index, 1901–1980
- ^ Ogilvie, Marilyn; Harvey, Joy (2003). The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: Pioneering Lives From Ancient Times to the Mid-20th Century. Routledge. ISBN 9781135963439. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ U.S. Passport Applications, 1795–1925
- ^ "The pioneers". www.yalealumnimagazine.com. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ Edu, World History (2024-10-08). "Charlotte Fitch Roberts: Life & Accomplishments". World History Edu. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
- ^ a b "The pioneers". yalealumnimagazine.com. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ Roberts, Charlotte F. The development and present aspects of stereo-chemistry. Boston, D.C. Heath & Co. OCLC 4921819.
- ^ Creese, Mary R. S.; Creese, Thomas M. (1994-06-15). "Charlotte Roberts and her textbook on stereochemistry". Bulletin for the History of Chemistry (15/16). doi:10.70359/bhc1994n15p031. ISSN 1053-4385. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ^ "Biographies of Yale's First Women Ph.D.'s | Women Faculty Forum". wff.yale.edu. Retrieved 23 December 2018.