Dudley, William Lofland,

chemist, was born in Covington, Ky., April 16, 1859; son of George Reed and Emma (Lofland) Dudley. His first American ancestor was Francis Dudley of Concord, Mass. (1640). He was graduated B.S. at the University of Cincinnati in 1880, and in the same year accepted the chair of chemistry and toxicology in Miami medical college, Cincinnati, Ohio.

In 1886 he became professor of chemistry in Vanderbilt university, Nashville, Tenn., and subsequently became dean of the medical department. He was a commissioner of the Cincinnati industrial exposition, 1883-85, a director of the Ohio mechanics institute, 1884-86, and "director of affairs" of the Tennessee Centennial exposition (1897). He was elected a member of the leading scientific societies of the world. In 1889 he was chairman of the section of chemistry and vice-president of the American association for the advancement of science, and in 1898 a member of the council of the American chemical society.

He discovered, in conjunction with John Holland of Cincinnati, a method of making castings of iridium by fusing the metal with phosphorus. Miami medical college conferred upon him the honorary degree of M.D. in 1885. He is the author of numerous contributions to scientific journals and of an article on iridium in "Mineral Resources of the United States, 1883-84."

The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volume III