William Lofland Dudley

For other people named William Dudley, see William Dudley (disambiguation).

William Lofland Dudley
Born	(1859-04-16)April 16, 1859 Covington, Kentucky
Died	Nashville, Tennessee
Fields	Chemistry
Institutions	Miami Medical College Vanderbilt University
Alma mater	University of Cincinnati (B. S., 1880) Miami Medical College (M. D., 1885)
Known for	Demonstrator of Chemistry at Cincinnati (1880–1881) Commissioner of Cincinnati Industrial Exposition (1881–1885) Professor of Chemistry and Toxicology (1880–1886) Chair of Chemistry at Vanderbilt (1886) Dean of Vanderbilt University Medical Department (1895–1914) President of Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1894–1912) Executive Committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Executive Committee of the Football Rules Committee. (1907–1914) Namesake of Dudley Field. Director of Affairs at Tennessee Centennial Exposition (1897) President of University Club of Nashville

William Lofland Dudley (April 16, 1859 – September 8, 1914) was an American chemistry professor at the University of Cincinnati and Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, he was appointed dean of its medical department. Dudley was director of affairs on the Tennessee Centennial Exposition executive committee and vice-president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Early in his career, he and John Holland developed a method for refining iridium that paved the way for commercial applications of the metal. Dudley discovered that carbon monoxide was a major injurious component of tobacco smoke and was one of the first to publish the physiological effects of X-rays with fellow Vanderbilt professor John Daniel.

He was instrumental in the establishment of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA), the first Southern athletics conference and forerunner of the Southern and Southeastern Conferences. Dudley was a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) executive and football rules committees. Known as the "father of Vanderbilt football" and the "father of Southern football," he was the namesake of Dudley Field (the first dedicated Southern college football stadium).

Early years

Dudley was born on April 16, 1859 in Covington, Kentucky to George Reed Dudley and Emma Lofland. His father was a steamboat owner and manufacturer. Dudley's family was of English descent, and he was a lineal descendant of colonial Massachusetts governor Thomas Dudley. He was educated in the Covington public schools, graduating from Covington High School in 1876. That autumn, Dudley entered the University of Cincinnati. He had already in 1875 had an article published in Scientific American. Devoting himself largely to scientific study, he received a B. S. degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1880 after becoming a demonstrator of chemistry at Miami Medical College the previous year. Dudley was appointed professor of analytic chemistry at Miami in 1880, and received an honorary M.D. degree in 1885.

Chemist

From 1880 to 1886, Dudley was professor of chemistry and toxicology at Miami Medical College in Cincinnati, Ohio and commissioner of the Cincinnati Industrial Exposition from 1881 to 1885. He was elected professor and chair of chemistry at Vanderbilt University in 1886, where he introduced courses in organic chemistry to the curriculum. President Grover Cleveland appointed Dudley member of the Assay Commission of 1887 to examine the weight and fineness of coins. Dudley was appointed Vanderbilt's first dean of the medical department in 1895. In 1919 the Dudley Fellowship in Chemistry was established in his memory.

Achievements

Iridium

In 1880, one John Holland of Cincinnati discovered the ability to melt and make castings of iridium by fusing the white-hot ore with phosphorus, and patented the process in the United States. He invoked the help of Dudley in getting rid of the phosphorus, who did so by repeated applications of lime at great heat. This was the first reported method of refining iridium. Dudley then found new applications for iridium, and formed the American Iridium Company with Holland. Dudley filed a patent on his method for iridium electroplating in 1887.

Tobacco smoke

Dudley discovered a cigarette's toxicity was due to the carbon monoxide (diagram pictured) in the smoke.

Dudley was credited with discovering that a toxic component of tobacco smoke is carbon monoxide (which poisons the blood by interfering with oxygen's ability to bind to hemoglobin). Dudley rejected the popularly held opinion that cigarette smoke was harmful due to the adulteration of the tobacco, e. g. with opium. His experiments showed the toxic agent to be carbon monoxide, resulting alike from cigarette, pipe, or cigar.

X-rays

Dudley was one of the first to publish the physiological effects of X-rays along with fellow Vanderbilt professor John Daniel. A child who had been shot in the head was brought to the Vanderbilt laboratory in 1896. Before trying to find the bullet an experiment was attempted, for which Dudley "with his characteristic devotion to science" volunteered. Daniel reported that 21 days after taking a picture of Dudley's skull (with an exposure time of one hour), he noticed a bald spot 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter on the part of his head nearest the X-ray tube.

Aurora borealis

In 1909, Dudley hypothesized that the excitation of neon, at the time a recently discovered noble gas, was responsible for the appearance of the aurora borealis. While this was incorrect, his suggestion was widely reported by the media at the time.

Societies

Picture from the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition.

Dudley was a member of the German Chemical Society of Berlin, the Society of Chemical Industry of England, the Chemical Society of London, the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the Engineering Association of the South and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was vice-president of the latter in 1889.

Centennial

Dudley also served as Director of Affairs of the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition in 1897 "and handled it with such care that no deficit appeared at its end".

College athletics

Vanderbilt Athletic Association

Dudley was a member of the Vanderbilt Athletic Association, formed in 1886 with W. M. Baskerville as president. Most Vanderbilt students were members. Early sports played at the school were baseball, cycling and track and field.

First football game

Elliott Jones (pictured)

Vanderbilt played its first football game (against Peabody) in 1890 at Nashville Athletic Park, winning 40–0. Team captain and fullback Elliott Jones recalled the meeting which begot the game. Dudley called a meeting of the Athletic Association after Peabody challenged Vanderbilt to play a Thanksgiving Day game, since he felt that the university's pride was at stake. To about 150 students in the gymnasium, Dudley explained that if the challenge were met, a new era of athletics would begin with the game of football. From his Kansas City law office many years later, Jones remembered: "There followed a general discussion of the whole situation. The difficulties, particularly the shortness of time for preparation, and the fact that regular football had not been theretofore played at Vanderbilt at all, were dealt upon. Many thought that it would be unfair to ourselves to hazard a contest under the circumstances. We knew that Peabody Normal had been playing intramural football for several years. The predominating note, however, for discussion was that we had never taken anything off Peabody Normal and should not do now. Finally, P. M. (Pat) Estes, then of St. Louis, made a motion to the effect that the challenge be accepted and that E. H. Jones be authorized and directed to organize and captain a team for the occasion. The motion was unanimously carried."

About Dudley, Jones said: "Too much cannot be said about Dr. William L. Dudley in connection with early football at Vanderbilt. Since college days his picture has adored my office wall, and when asked by any one who the gentleman is, I always reply, 'The best friend of myself and every other student at Vanderbilt, in my college days.' He went with the team on every trip, and watched over us like a father.

"He was our inspiration as well as our guardian. He was our true and loyal friend, under any and all circumstances, in adversity as well in prosperity. I have never known a more lovable, more genuine friend. I cherish the memory of his friendship above all else in my college experience."

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Dudley was a member of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (now the NCAA) and was primarily responsible for the formation of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA). In March 1888, the Vanderbilt Athletic Association tried to schedule a track meet at Vanderbilt with Southwestern Presbyterian University, Sewanee and Tennessee. Opposition from Sewanee prevented the meet, and on December 21, 1894 the SIAA was formed.

Football rules committee

In 1907, Dudley replaced Homer Curtiss of the University of Texas on the Rules Committee.

Dudley Field

Old

Vanderbilt's football stadiums have been named after Dudley for most of their existence. The first Dudley Field was christened on October 21, 1892 with the beginning of the Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry; Vanderbilt won, 22–4. Vanderbilt Law School presently occupies the old Dudley Field site. When a new Dudley Field was built in 1922, the old stadium became known as Curry Field; it was named for Irby "Rabbit" Curry, a Vanderbilt football player who died in an aerial battle over France in World War I.

New

Dudley Field in 1922

After many years of success under Dan McGugin and an undefeated 1921 season, it was decided that Vanderbilt had outgrown its old stadium. Since there was not enough room to expand old Dudley Field at its site near Kirkland Hall, the Vanderbilt administrators purchased land adjacent to the present 25th Avenue South for the new facility. The steel-and-concrete structure cost about $200,000 and could seat 22,600. It was the first dedicated college football stadium in the South.

The first game at the new stadium was against Michigan on October 14, 1922; McGugin was the brother-in-law of Michigan coach Fielding Yost. Before the game, floats, bands and Vanderbilt alumni marched in Nashville. Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, the great-great grandson of the university's namesake, made an appearance. Three airplanes flew over the stadium as the flag was raised and the Vanderbilt band played "America". Governor Alf Taylor welcomed the visiting Wolverines, and Yost responded in kind. The stadium's dedication posthumously honored Dudley:

To William Lofland Dudley, Dean of Southern Athletics, scholar, gentleman, and friend, this ground is dedicated, and, as Dudley Field, is consecrated to the use of Vanderbilt and her sons forever.

— Prof. C. S. Brown, President of the Vanderbilt Athletic Association

The teams played a scoreless tie, which features prominently in the school's history.

Death

In the summer of 1914, Dudley was stricken with illness. Shortly after admittance to Clifton Springs Sanitarium in New York, he suffered a stroke which left him speechless. He recovered the use of his voice, but knew death was imminent, and started to travel back to Nashville where he wished to die. He died on September 8, 1914 before reaching Chicago.

List of publications

• "A Theory of Dissolution" Scientific American (July 31, 1875)
• "Preliminary Notice of a New Volatile Alkaloid" J. Am. Chem Soc., 1 (1879), 286; and Am. Chem. J., 1, 154-55
• "The Volatile Oil of Mustard" Scientific American 42, Issue 21 (May 1880)
• "A chart for the chemical examination of urine; also tables of the metric weights and measures, and rules for converting the apothecaries' weights and measures into metric terms. For the use of students." (Cincinnati, 1880)
• "On a Modification of Boettger's Test for Sugar" Am. Chem. J., 2, (1880), 47.
• "A New Test for Gallic Acid" Am. Chem. J. 2 (1880), p. 48
• "Graphite From Ducktown, Tennessee" with F. W. Clarke Am. Chem. J. 2 (1881) p. 332
• "Holland's Process For Melting Iridium" Scientific Proceedings of the Ohio Mechanics' Institute, Volumes 1-2 (May 1881)
• "The Poisonous Effects of Cigarette Smoking" Medical News (Philadelphia, 1883) p. 53
• "Iridium" Mineral Resources of the United States (1883–84) p. 581
• "The Iridium Industry" Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers 12 (1884) p. 577
• "Water of Crystallization" Science 4, No. 95 (Nov. 1884) p. 484
• "Water Crystallization" Lecture given at Cincinnati Society of Natural History (Mar. 1885)
• "Detection of Arsenic in Animal Tissues" The Cincinnati Lancet and Clinic 16 (Dec. 1885)
• "A note on the Product of Catharsis by Means of Hypodermic Medication" (with C. H. Castle) Medical News, Nov 6. 1886
• Lining for converters and furnaces Patented October 19, 1886
• Removing fiber from cotton-seed Patented Dec. 14, 1886
• "Report of the Committee on Weighing" (with committee) (1887)
• Process of depositing iridium and product of the same Patented May 3, 1887
• "Poisonous Effects of Cigarette Smoking (with W. J. Pulley) Medical News, Sep. 15, 1888
• "Some Modifications of the Methods of Organic Analysis by Combustion" Am Chem. J. 10, No. 6. (1888)
• "The Nature of Amalgams" Address of W. L. Dudley, Proceedings of American Association for the Advancement of Science (Toronto, Aug. 1889)
• "The Pierce Process for the Production of Charcoal, Wood Alcohol, and Acetic Acid" J. Ana. and App. Chem. 5, No. 5 (May 1891)
• "Process for the Removal of Lint from Cotton Seed" J. Ana. and App. Chem. 6, p. 140. (1892)
• "The Colors and Absorption: Spectra of Thin Metallic and of Incandescent Vapors of the Metals, with Some Observations on Electrical Volatility" Am. Chem. J. 14 (1892), 185
• "Nickelo-Nickelic Hydrate" The Chemical News and Journal of Physical Science 75 (1897) p. 65
• Snuff tablet Patented December 19, 1899.
• Separable buckle Patented April 25, 1905.
• Spark-arrester Patented September 25, 1906.
• "Researches In Electro-Metallurgy"
• "Researches In The Metallurgy Of Iridium"
• "New Method of Chemical Analysis of Organic Substances"