December 24 in A.A. History

In 1934, Bill W. met his first real prospect, Frederick Ernest B. [right, 1923], who would be known within A.A. circles as “the chemistry professor.” Since his discharge from Towns Hospital, Bill had been wandering the gutters of the Bowery, the “nut ward” at Bellevue Hospital, the corridors of fleabag hotels, and the detox unit at Towns Hospital, looking for alcoholics willing to try his approach to staying sober.
    Dr. Frederick E. Breithut was a prominent chemist, educator, and leader in 1920s America. He had served as president of the American Institute of Chemists from 1928 to 1932, headed Brooklyn College’s chemistry department, and contributed to the U.S. War Department’s Chemical Warfare Service as a Major during and after World War I (WWI).
    Amid disruptions to chemical supplies by Germany during the war, Dr. Breithut helped the U.S. achieve self-sufficiency in dyes, pharmaceuticals, and coal-tar products. In 1923, Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover had appointed him as chemical trade commissioner to Germany; within months, he had sent a report on Swiss coal-tar statistics to Dr. Charles H. Herty, advisor to the Chemical Foundation. This report addressed critical U.S. dependencies on potash, nitrates, and synthetics.
    As president of the American Institute of Chemists (AIC), Dr. Breithut advocated for chemists’ licensing [left: The New York Times, 28 May 1928], better pay, and public recognition, including the awarding of the prestigious AIC Gold Medal [right] to:

	Mr. and Mrs. Francis P. Garvan, for establishing the Chemical Foundation [far left: headline, The New York Times, 29 May 1929, p. 3];  Mr. George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak and inventor of the roll-film camera [far right: headline, The New York Times, 17 February 1930, p. 12];  Mr. Andrew W. Mellon and Mr. Richard B. Mellon, founders, with their father, of Mellon Bank [near left: The New York Times, 24 Mar 1931, p. 19]; and  Dr. Charles H. Herty, president of the American Chemical Society, the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers’ Association and the Chemical Foundation [near right: The New York Times, 23 January 1932].

    He had shaped debates over professional standards while advocating for American chemical autonomy between WWI and WWII.
    At the same time, Dr. Breithut was involved in the founding of Brooklyn College [left: campus, 2016], New York City’s first public coeducational liberal arts college, in 1931. He had served as faculty chair of the organizing committee for the inauguration of Dr. William A. Boylan, the first prespresident of the college; planned and organized science curricula; headed the chemistry department; and chaired its building committee until “ill health” [right: letter, Dr. Boylan to Hon. Mark Eisner, 12 January 1937] led him to resign in 1937.