Edward R. Weidlein

Edward Ray Weidlein (1887-1983) was an American chemist born in Augusta, Kansas, who spent most of his career leading the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research in Pittsburgh, serving as its director from 1921 to 1951 and later as its president and chairman. He led the American Institute of Chemical Engineers as president from 1927 to 1929 and the American Chemical Society as president in 1937, helped develop synthetic rubber production programs during the Second World War, and advocated for controlling smoke emissions in Pittsburgh. His honors included the Chemical Industry Medal in 1935, the Priestley Medal in 1948, and the AIChE Founders Award in 1966.