Q. Who was Harvard University's first Nobel Laureate?
Theodore W. Richards, ca. 1900.
HUP Richards, Theodore (21b), olvwork531946. Harvard University Archives.
Theodore William Richards (1868-1928) received the 1914 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in recognition of his research that measured the atomic weights of more than two dozen chemical elements. Richards was the first Harvard faculty member to receive this prestigious award. Established in 1895, the Nobel Prize is an annual award acknowledging outstanding contributions to the fields of chemistry, medicine, physics, physiology, literature, and peace. Since Richards, more than four dozen other Harvard faculty members have been recipients of the Nobel Prize.
For more information:
- Harvard Nobel Laureates. Harvard At Glance website.
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1914. Nobel Foundation website.
- Papers of Theodore William Richards. Harvard University Archives.