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Augustus
Herman Gill was one of the founding fathers of oil analysis and
was perhaps the first to formalize it as a field of study. Gill
was born in Canton, Mass., August 1, 1864, and graduated from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a degree in chemistry
in 1884 at the age of 20. He continued on with MIT for three more
years as an assistant and instructor in the Chemistry Department.
In
1890, Gill received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Leipzig University
in Germany and returned to MIT where he was made a full professor
in 1909 and emeritus professor in 1934 two years before his death.
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Augustus
H. Gill
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During
his tenure at MIT, Gill taught courses in oil and gas analysis and
the practical testing of alkaloids, asphalt, boiler waters, casein,
celluloid, essential oils, glue, inks, paper, rubber, soap and wood
preservatives. In 1923, Rhode Island State College conferred upon
him the honorary degree of Sc.D.
Professor
Gill was one of the founding members of the American Society for
Testing Materials (ASTM), D-2 Committee on Petroleum Products and
Lubricants, having first joined ASTM in 1906. The first standards
from this historic committee did not begin to emerge until about
1911. Gill was an active participant and held offices in many other
professional organizations including the American Chemical Society
and the Oil Chemists' Society.
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Books
Written by Professor Gill
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Besides
his book, "A Short Handbook on Oil Analysis," published
in eleven editions, he was the author of "Gas and Fuel Analysis
for Engineers" (ten editions) and Engine Room Chemistry (three
editions). His daughter Helen Gill, also a graduate of MIT, shared
his interest in oil analysis and co-authored several works with
him including "A Possible Test for the Oiliness of Oils,"
"Industrial and Engineering Chemistry," May, 1926. Gill's
grandchildren Mary Elizabeth Jones and Paul Gill currently live
in New England.
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