Carleton Ellis (September 20, 1876 – January 13, 1941) was an American inventor and a pioneer in the field oforganic chemistry. He was involved in the development ofmargarine,polyester, anti-knockgasoline, paint and varnish remover, and holder of 753 patents.[1] A native ofKeene, New Hampshire, he was thevaledictorian of his high school class, and later a graduate ofMIT. He then set up the Ellis Laboratories inMontclair, New Jersey.
Ellis's contributions were in the improvement of existing technology. He developed gasoline that reduced engine knock, longer lasting housepaint, more durable polyesters and plastics, improved printing inks, methods for flameless combustion, methods forhydroponics for plant growth without soil, and a healthier and more palatable version of margarine. Prior to 1913, there were substitutes for butter that had been made from animal fats that had high grease content and was often hard to digest. Ellis found a way to synthesize margarine from vegetable oils, and it is said that he helped create what is now a multi-billion dollar industry.[2]
Ellis was the author of "The Hydrogenation of Oils" inJournal of the Society of Chemical Industry (1912) and a 1920 book of the same name.[citation needed]
In 1933, he was issued the first American patent (USP 1897977) for an unsaturatedpolyester, followed by a patent for polyester co-polymers in the year before his death (USP 2195362).[3] Ellis died ofinfluenza at the age of 64, while vacationing atMiami Beach. Amerchant marine tanker, theLiberty ship S.S.Carleton Ellis, was later named in his honor duringWorld War II.Time magazine eulogized him by writing, "Chemist Ellis' inventions gave birth to more than 100,000 compounds. He developedStandard Oil's tube-&-tank process of cracking oil, found the formula for cheapacetone to fireproof airplane wings inWorld War I, and made plastics an exact and lucrative science."[4]
He was awarded theEdward Longstreth Medal in 1916.[citation needed] He was inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame in 1974.[5]
