Benjamin R. Jacobs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benjamin R. Jacobs
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Benjamin R. Jacobs - March 1954
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| Born |
Ricardo Benjamin Jacobs
March 15, 1879 |
| Died | February 3, 1963 (aged 83) Orlando, Florida, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Biochemist |
| Known for | Research on nutrition, development of enriched grains |
Benjamin Ricardo Jacobs (born March 15, 1879 – died February 3, 1963) was an important American scientist. He was born in Lima, Peru. His mother, Rosa Mulet Jacobs, was from Valparaíso, Chile, and his father, Washington Michael Jacobs, was from South Carolina in the United States.
Benjamin's father was an American diplomat in Peru. He also had many business interests, including mining. When Benjamin was young, his family moved to Oakland, California, and then to Tucson, Arizona Territory. Benjamin grew up in Tucson and learned about chemistry in his father's lab. He also worked in the family's mining businesses. After his father passed away in 1899, Benjamin moved his mother and sisters to Oakland. He then studied and taught chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley.
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What did Benjamin Jacobs study?
Benjamin Jacobs earned his Ph.D. in chemistry. He focused on what we now call biochemistry, which is the study of the chemistry of living things. He was very interested in food and nutrition.
Making Food Better
Jacobs created a special way to add important nutrients back into processed grains, like cereals and flours. This process is called enrichment. Thanks to his work, enriched flours are now common in our daily diets.
He also studied the nutritional parts of foods we eat every day. He discovered the chemical processes that turn raw ingredients into cooked meals. He gave helpful tips on how to keep as many nutrients as possible in food. This included advice for growing, processing, cooking, and serving food.
Benjamin Jacobs' Career
Before he was 27, Benjamin Jacobs had his own science lab in San Francisco. But on April 18, 1906, his lab was destroyed by the big San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the fires that followed. He lost all his equipment and research records.
Working for the Government
After the earthquake, Benjamin Jacobs moved to Washington, D.C. He joined a government agency called the Bureau of Chemistry. This agency is now known as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He worked there for a long time.
His early work involved making sure flour was pure and helping to enforce new laws about food safety. He also worked with Hannah L. Wessling, one of the first women chemists in the department.
During World War I, Benjamin Jacobs helped the United States Food Administration. This group managed how food was shared across the country. They made sure that both regular people and soldiers had enough to eat, especially when there were food shortages in Europe.
Starting His Own Lab Again
In 1920, Benjamin Jacobs left the government to start his own labs again. He called his new business the National Cereal Products Laboratory. It had offices in Washington, D.C., and Manhattan.
Even after leaving the government, he continued to advise the Bureau of Chemistry for the rest of his life. He also worked as a consultant for the C.F. Mueller Company. He helped them make sure their macaroni, noodles, and pasta products were nutritious.
Benjamin R. Jacobs was a member of important science groups like the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He often shared his research at their meetings and wrote articles for science journals like Science. He also served as the president of the National Noodle and Macaroni Association of America.
Benjamin Jacobs' Family Life
Benjamin Jacobs had two daughters, Irene (born 1905) and Millicent (born 1907), with his first wife, Sarah. Sadly, Sarah passed away when the girls were young. Benjamin raised his daughters as a single father.
Later, he married Margaret Ann Connell. She worked as an assistant to Samuel Gompers, who started the American Federation of Labor. Benjamin and Margaret lived in several places, including Washington, D.C., Orlando, Florida, and Kennebunkport, Maine.
Benjamin Jacobs passed away in Orlando, Florida, when he was 83 years old. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His wife, Margaret, was buried with him ten years later.
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