Scope and Content Note
The papers of Frederick Gardner Cottrell (1877-1948) span the years 1896-1951, with the period 1907-1940 being particularly well represented. Cottrell, inventor of the electrostatic precipitator that removes pollutants from smoke, was a successful applied scientist whose support of scientific research led to the founding in 1912 of the Research Corporation, an organization designed to benefit the advancement of science through the distribution of grants. The papers are organized into the following series: Diaries and Personal Notebooks , Miscellaneous Personal Papers , Scientific Papers , Miscellany , and Oversize .
Most prominent in bulk as well as in importance are the diaries in the Diaries and Personal Notebooks series that were used mainly to keep records of names, places, and dates. The diaries complement Cottrell's daily schedules that are found throughout the papers and were kept from 1907 to about 1940. Diaries were assembled as well for other years, but they are fragmentary.
The Miscellaneous Personal Papers series dates from 1900 to 1948 during which Cottrell retained many of his notes, jottings, and doodles. Although items from Cottrell's early years are present, most of this material falls in the period 1931-1948 while a chemist at the Department of Agriculture. The distinction Cottrell made between diary entries and miscellaneous jottings becomes increasingly tenuous after 1940 and during the last years of his life until his death in 1948.
The Scientific Papers contain patent papers for his process of producing nitric oxide and for the inventions of Cottrell's associates P. H. Royster and Farrington Daniels. The series includes several holograph documents, graphs, short notes, and three drafts of miscellaneous scientific writings. An essay titled "Inside Doctor Cottrell," by Royster, gives a brief account of certain aspects of Cottrell's life. The series further contains correspondence between several of Cottrell's close associates and Frank Thomas Cameron, apparently preparatory to the latter's writing of Cottrell: Samaritan of Science.
The Miscellany series contains Cottrell's passports, postcards, and memorabilia, while diplomas and certificates of appointment to government posts are located in Oversize.