Benjamin Silliman
Born	August 8, 1779 Trumbull, Connecticut, USA
Died	November 24, 1864 New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Residence	USA
Nationality	USA
Fields	chemist
Institutions	Yale University
Alma mater	Yale University
Known for	Distillation of petroleum
Notable awards	National Academy of Sciences

Benjamin Silliman (8 August 1779 – 24 November 1864) was an American chemist, one of the first American professors of science (at Yale University), and the first to distill petroleum. Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Year 1779 ( MDCCLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Trumbull is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A chemist is a Scientist trained in the Science of Chemistry. Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Year 1779 ( MDCCLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A chemist is a Scientist trained in the Science of Chemistry.

Early Life

Silliman was born in a tavern in North Stratford, now Trumbull, Connecticut, a few months after his mother fled for her life from their Fairfield, Connecticut home ahead of 2,000 invading British troops that burned Fairfield center to the ground. Trumbull is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The British forces had taken his father prisoner in May of 1779. His father was General Gold Selleck Silliman and his mother was Mary Fish, widow of John Noyes. Gold Selleck Silliman (1732–1790 was born in Fairfield Connecticut, graduated from Yale University and practiced law and served as a crown attorney before the

Education

He was educated at Yale, receiving an A. B. degree in 1796 and an A. M. in 1799. He studied law with Simeon Baldwin from 1798 to 1799 and became a tutor at Yale from 1799 to 1802. Simeon Baldwin ( December 14, 1761 - May 26, 1851) was son-in-law of Roger Sherman, father of Connecticut Governor Roger Sherman He was admitted to the bar in 1802. President Timothy Dwight IV of Yale proposed that he equip himself to teach in chemistry and natural history and accept a new professorship at the university. Timothy Dwight ( May 14, 1752 &ndash January 11, 1817) was an American Congregationalist minister Theologian, educator Silliman studied chemistry with Professor James Woodhouse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and delivered his first lectures in chemistry at Yale in 1804. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə In 1805, he traveled to Edinburgh for further study. Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow.

Career

Returning to New Haven, he studied its geology, and made a chemical analysis of the meteorite that fell near Weston, Connecticut, publishing the first scientific account of any American meteorite. Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit A meteorite is a natural object originating in Outer space that survives an impact with the Earth 's surface He lectured publicly at New Haven in 1808 and came to discover many of the constituent elements of many minerals. A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific The mineral sillimanite was named after him. Sillimanite also called Bucholzite is an alumino-silicate Mineral with the Chemical formula Al2SiO5 Upon the founding of the Medical School, he also taught there as one of the founding faculty members. The Yale School of Medicine at Yale University is a private Medical school located in New Haven, Connecticut, U As professor emeritus, he delivered lectures at Yale on geology until 1855; in 1854, he became the first person to fractionate petroleum by distillation. Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit

Family

His first marriage was on 17 September 1809 to Harriet Trumbull, daughter of Connecticut governor Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., who was the son of Governor Jonathan Trumbull, Sr. of Connecticut, a hero of the American Revolution. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 1809 ( MDCCCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Jonathan Trumbull Jr ( March 26, 1740 August 7, 1809) was an American Politician who served as the second Speaker Jonathan Trumbull Sr ( 12 October 1710 17 August 1785) (Originally spelled Jonathan Trumble was changed for an unknown reason was In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Silliman and his wife had four children: one daughter married Professor Oliver P. Hubbard, and another married Professor James Dwight Dana. James Dwight Dana (February 12 1813 &ndash April 14 1895 was an American Geologist, Mineralogist and Zoologist. His son Benjamin Silliman Jr., also a professor of chemistry at Yale, wrote a report that convinced investors to back George Bissell's seminal search for oil. Benjamin Silliman Jr ( December 4, 1816 &ndash January 14, 1885) was a professor of Chemistry at Yale University and George Henry Bissell ( November 8, 1821 – November 19, 1884) is often considered the father of the American Oil industry. His second marriage was in 1851 to Mrs Sarah Isabella (McClellan) Webb, daughter of John McClellan. Silliman died at New Haven and is buried in Grove Street Cemetery. Grove Street Cemetery or Grove Street Burial Ground in New Haven Connecticut is located in the center of the Yale University campus

Legacy

Silliman deemed slavery an "enormous evil" but also favored colonization of free African Americans in Liberia, serving as a board member of the Connecticut colonization society between 1828 and 1835. He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (or AAAS) is an organization that promotes cooperation between Scientists defends scientific freedom encourages He founded and edited the American Journal of Science, and was appointed one of the corporate members of the National Academy of Sciences by the United States Congress. The American Journal of Science ( AJS) is America's longest-running Scientific journal, having been published continuously since its conception in 1818 by Professor The National Academy of Sciences (NAS is a corporation in the United States whose members serve Pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses

A statue of Silliman in front of Yale's Sterling Chemistry Laboratory.

Silliman College, one of Yale's residential colleges, is named for him, as is the mineral Sillimanite. Silliman College is a Residential college at Yale University. A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a University that places academic activity in a Community setting of students and faculty usually Sillimanite also called Bucholzite is an alumino-silicate Mineral with the Chemical formula Al2SiO5

References

• Jackman, S W (1979), “The tribulations of an editor: Benjamin Silliman and the early days of the American Journal of Science and the Arts.”, The New England quarterly 52 (1): 99-106, 1979, PMID:11624721, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11624721> 

External Links

• Yale University on Silliman
• On his abolitionism
• Sillimanite

See also

• Petroleum