Herbert Henry Dow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Herbert Henry Dow
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Herbert Dow, founder of Dow Chemical
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| Born | February 26, 1866 Belleville, Canada West
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| Died | October 15, 1930 (aged 64) |
| Alma mater | Case School of Applied Science |
| Known for | founding Dow Chemical Company |
| Awards | Perkin Medal (1930) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
Herbert Henry Dow was a brilliant inventor and businessman. He was born in Canada in 1866 and later became an American citizen. He founded a huge company called Dow Chemical. Herbert Dow was very good at creating new ways to make chemicals. He especially found a clever way to get bromine from seawater. He studied at the Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, Ohio.
Contents
Herbert Dow's Early Life
Growing Up and School
Herbert Henry Dow was born in 1866 in Belleville, Ontario. He was the oldest child of Joseph Henry Dow and Sarah Bunnell. His parents were from Derby, Connecticut. When Herbert was just six weeks old, his family moved back to their hometown. In 1878, they moved again to Cleveland. This move was for his father's job at the Derby Shovel Manufacturing Company.
After finishing high school in 1884, Dow went to the Case School of Applied Science. This school is now known as Case Western Reserve University. While there, he joined a group called Phi Kappa Psi. He started doing special research on the chemicals found in brine (salty water). He looked at brine from Ohio and nearby areas.
He found that brine from Canton, Ohio and Midland, Michigan had a lot of bromine. At that time, bromine was important for medicines. It was also used a lot in the new photography industry. After graduating in 1888, Dow taught chemistry for a year. He worked at Huron Street Hospital College in Cleveland. He kept doing his research on how to get chemicals from brine.
Herbert Dow's Business Journey
Starting New Companies
In 1889, Herbert Dow got his first patent. A patent protects an invention. He had invented a cheaper and easier way to get bromine. He quickly started his own company. But it went out of business within a year. His friends were impressed with his work. In 1890, they helped him start the Midland Chemical Company. This company was in Midland, Michigan.
Dow kept working on getting bromine. By early 1891, he invented the Dow process. This was a new way to get bromine. It used electrolysis, which uses electricity to separate chemicals.
Founding the Dow Chemical Company
Dow wanted to use electrolysis to make other chemicals. But the people who gave him money did not like his new research. They fired him from the Midland Chemical Company. He didn't give up. He kept working and found a way to get chlorine and caustic soda from salt.
He looked for new money from friends and old classmates in Cleveland. He got money from James T. Pardee, Albert W. Smith, J. H. Osborn, and Cady Staley. In 1895, Dow moved his family to Massillon, Ohio. He started the Dow Process Company there. This company was to build the machines for his new chemical process. The next year, he went back to Midland. He started the Dow Chemical Company. This new company took over from the Dow Process Company. The Dow Chemical Company started with 57 original investors. Within three years, his new company bought the Midland Chemical Company.
Breaking a Monopoly
With his new company and new technology, Dow could make bromine very cheaply. He started selling it in the United States for 36 cents per pound. At that time, a German group called Deutsche Bromkonvention controlled almost all the bromine supply. They sold it in the US for 49 cents per pound. The Germans had warned Dow. They said they would sell bromine very cheaply if Dow tried to sell his product outside the US. In 1904, Dow ignored them. He started sending his cheaper bromine to England.
A few months later, a German representative visited Dow. He told Dow to stop exporting his bromine. Dow was not scared. He kept sending bromine to England and Japan. The German group fought back. They flooded the US market with bromine at 15 cents a pound. They wanted to put Dow out of business. Dow could not sell his bromine in the US at such a low price. So, he told his workers to buy hundreds of thousands of pounds of the German bromine.
The Dow company then repackaged this bromine. They sent it to Europe. They even sold it to German companies for 27 cents a pound. The German group thought Dow would go out of business. They couldn't understand why there was so much demand for bromine in the US. They also wondered where all the cheap bromine in their own market was coming from. They thought their own members were breaking their price agreement. The German group kept cutting prices in the US. First to 12 cents a pound, then to 10.5 cents per pound. Finally, they realized what Dow was doing. They knew they couldn't keep selling below cost. So, they raised their prices all over the world.
Helping During World War I
Dow Chemical Company focused on research. Soon, they could get many more chemicals from brine. World War I (1914-1918) created a big need for chemicals. Britain blocked German ports. Germany was the world's biggest chemical supplier then. Dow Chemical quickly started making things needed for the war. They made magnesium for flares that create light. They also made monochlorobenzene and phenol for explosives. And bromine was used for medicines and tear gas. By 1918, 90% of Dow Chemical Company's products helped the war effort. During this time, Dow also created the diamond logo. This logo is still used by the Dow Chemical Company today.
Impact on the Auto Industry
After the war, Dow started looking into magnesium. His company had a lot of it. He found that magnesium could be used to make car pistons. These new pistons made cars go faster and use less fuel. Dowmetal pistons were used a lot in race cars. The winner of the Indianapolis 500 race in 1921 used Dowmetal pistons in his car.
Herbert Dow's Family Life
Dow married Grace Anna Ball on November 16, 1892. She was a teacher in Midland. They had seven children between 1894 and 1908. Their names were Helen, Ruth, Willard, Osborn, Alden B, Margaret, and Dorothy D. One child, Osborn Curtis, died from Spinal meningitis before his third birthday in 1902. Willard became a chemist and worked for his father's company. Alden studied engineering to work at Dow Chemical. But he later changed to architecture.
Later Life and Legacy
Herbert Dow passed away on October 15, 1930. He died from a liver condition. By the time of his death, he had received over 90 patents for his inventions. His wife, Grace, and five of their seven children survived him.
Commemoration
In 1899, Dow started the Dow Gardens in Midland, Michigan. This was a personal hobby on his home's property.
Herbert Henry Dow High School in Midland, Michigan, opened in 1968. It is named after Dow. He received the Perkin Medal in 1930 for his achievements.
His home in Midland is called Herbert H. Dow House. It was named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1976.
Grace Dow started the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation in 1936. She did this to honor her husband. The foundation helps improve life for people in Midland and Michigan. Since then, it has given almost half a billion dollars to good projects and programs in the state. The foundation's offices are on the grounds of the Dow home and gardens.
See also
- List of Case Western people
