Charles Martin Hall Collection

Collection

Identifier: RG 30-182

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The approximately 10 linear feet of Charles Martin Hall material consists of personal correspondence, 1882-1909; Hall patents, 1889-1918; litigation records, 1887-1909; laboratory notebooks, 1888-1912; and photographs and printed material 1891-1894. The collection is arranged in eight series.

The first series is comprised of biographical material compiled primarily by personnel in ALCOA's corporate headquarters. Due to continued interest in Hall the material covers a wide date span, ranging from 1889 to 1985. Materials include memorial statements, obituaries, last will and testament, and reminiscences gathered by Hall biographer Junius D. Edwards (1890-1957) during the 1950s. The later material consists of articles about Hall and items from Hall's 1976 induction into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame. The biographical subgroup provides useful documentation in understanding the life of Charles Martin Hall.

The personal correspondence written by Charles Martin Hall constitutes the most thorough record series. Spanning the period between 1882-1909, the correspondence chronicles Hall's life beginning with his efforts selling book subscriptions door-to-door, and continuing through his diagnosis of leukemia. Hall's letters are written primarily to his family, but include some written to business associates Alfred E. Hunt, and one letter to Arthur Vining Davis. The lack of continuity in the correspondence series underscores the fact that the series is not complete, as correspondence for some years is missing entirely.

Contained in the patent series is Hall's first patent as well as 19 other original patents granted to him between 1889 and 1918. The patents are prime examples of Hall's incessant efforts to continually improve and refine his process. Documents filed with the patents illustrate the process of filing for patent protection, and the negotiations involved in transferring assignment of patents to corporate ownership. A series of approximately 60 foreign patents provides examples of the nature of European patent protection in the late 19th century.

Patent litigation details efforts to protect the Hall patent and establish originality of invention. The first series consists of the records produced during the Heroult Interference case in 1887. The Heroult case was heard to establish priority of invention. The second series contains the records of the patent infringement trials between the Pittsburgh Reduction Company and the Cowles Electric Smelting and Aluminum Company from 1891 to 1903.

The bulk of the litigation records are the printed trial records, containing the complete stenographic report of the trials. Among the more enlightening sections of the printed record is the testimony given by Charles Martin Hall as well as members of his family and business associates such as Alfred E. Hunt and Arthur Vining Davis, and his college chemistry professor, Frank Fanning Jewett. The testimony offers insight into late 19th century metallurgy, manufacturing processes and technology, and the nature of business competition. The evidence presented during the litigation provides a rich source of background for understanding the electrolytic process.

The laboratory notebooks series contains several bound ledgers containing records of experiments conducted by the Pittsburgh Reduction Company from 1888 to 1913. The volumes were maintained in the production facilities and monitor the tests made to determine the purity and ductile strength of the metal. Several of the volumes record analysis of incoming ores, noting the grade, purity and percentage of metal present. The volumes are from both the Niagara and New Kensington plants.

The collection includes photographs, prints, and printed works. Approximately 80 photographic images, mainly prints, portray Charles Martin Hall, members of his family and their Oberlin residence as well as other miscellaneous scenes associated with Hall's life. Among the printed works is an 1894 edition of The Golden Censer which Hall sold as a young man during college.

Dates

Creation: 1882 - 1985
Other: Date acquired: 1989 October 5

Creator

Hall, Charles Martin (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Unrestricted.

Biographical Sketch

Charles Martin Hall, chemist, manufacturer, and Oberlin College benefactor, was born December 6, 1863 in Thompson, Ohio. He was son of Rev. Heman Bassett Hall (1823-1911, A.B. 1847, Theology 1850, A.M. 1866) and Sophronia H. Brooks Hall (1827-1885, Lit. Course ,1850 but did not graduate). Hall had seven siblings: George Edward (1851-1921, A.B. 1872), Ellen Julia (1852-1882, Lit. Course), Louis Albert (1855-1862), Emily Brooks (1857-1943, Lit. Course, 1881), Julia Brainerd (1859-1926, Lit. Course, 1881), Edith May (1865-1937, A.B. 1889) and Louie Alice (1870-1944, Lit. Course, 1892).

In 1873 the Hall family moved to Oberlin, Ohio, where Charles Martin Hall took his preparatory work in Oberlin High School. His high school education was supplemented by one year in the Oberlin Academy including lessons in the Conservatory of Music. He enrolled in Oberlin College in 1880, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1885. Oberlin College awarded him the honorary A.M. in 1893, and honorary L.L.D. in 1910. He was a member of the Oberlin College Board of Trustees from 1905 to 1914.

Hall was influenced by his college chemistry professor, Frank Fanning Jewett (1844-1926), who challenged and encouraged Hall in his ongoing scientific experiments. Jewett is popularly credited with turning Hall's attention to aluminum through a classroom challenge. However, this story appears to contain more myth than fact.

After graduation Hall continued the work begun with Jewett. Working in his Oberlin woodshed laboratory with encouragement from his older sister Julia Brainerd Hall (1859-1926), he pursued the idea that aluminum could be reduced from its ores through electrolysis. On February 23, 1886, Hall successfully electrolyzed alumina in a mixture of cryolite and aluminum fluoride, producing several small globules of aluminum metal. On July 9, 1886, he filed a patent for "The Process of Reducing Aluminum by Electrolysis."

In July 1888 his application was found to be in interference with the application filed April 23, 1886 by Paul L.T. Heroult (1863-1914) of France. Independently the two inventors made the same discovery at virtually the same time. Under United States patent law patent rights rested on proof of the date of discovery. Through evidence and testimony Hall was able to establish priority and was awarded patent rights in the United States.

Hall negotiated an option with the Cowles Electric Smelting and Aluminum Company, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Cowles manufactured and sold aluminum and copper alloys produced by the electric arc smelting process. The option allowed Hall to develop the commercial feasibility of his process and gave Cowles the chance to purchase his rights. Frustrated by an apparent lack of support, Hall left the Cowles Company in July 1888.

Through Romaine Cole, a sympathetic salesman at Cowles, Hall met the noted metallurgist Captain Alfred E. Hunt (1855-1899) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Hall and Cole produced a 22-page document on the advantages of the "Hall Process," which they presented to Hunt. On the basis of that document, Hunt became one of the principal investors in the Pittsburgh Reduction Company formed in 1888.

Hall continued his developmental process, now more favored by supportive backing and adequate electrical power. The pilot plant for the Pittsburgh Reduction Company opened in Pittsburgh in September 1888. Arthur Vining Davis (1867-1962) was hired to assist Hall. By Thanksgiving Day 1888 they succeeded in producing limited amounts of pure aluminum. The pilot plant gave way to new production facilities, based now on the internal resistive heating method, which capitalized on the increased availability of electricity. Plants were established in Niagara, New York and New Kensington, Pennsylvania. The Mellon Bank of Pittsburgh was a major investor in the expansion.

In 1891, the Pittsburgh Reduction Company filed suit against the Cowles Electric Smelting and Aluminum Company on the grounds of patent infringement. Judge William Howard Taft (1857-1930) ruled in favor of Hall and the originality of his invention in 1893. Cowles appealed the decision and filed a new motion on the basis of their ownership of technology provided in the patents of Charles Bradley, which appeared to anticipate the internal resistive heating method. In 1911, after lengthy proceedings Cowles was awarded damages for infringement by the Pittsburgh Reduction Company on portions of the Bradley Patents.

In 1907 the Pittsburgh Reduction Company was renamed the Aluminum Company of America, later shortened to ALCOA. The success of ALCOA following the Cowles settlement allowed Hall to return to his interest in music and art. These interests were manifested in his collection of oriental rugs and porcelain, and enjoyment of music. Hall also remained active in research and development, a passion that for him never ended. He filed several new patents for improvements in the production of aluminum, including one registered four years after his death. In 1911 he was awarded the prestigious Perkin Medal for outstanding achievement in applied chemistry. Hall died in Daytona, Florida, on December 27, 1914.

Charles Martin Hall was a generous benefactor of Oberlin College. During his lifetime he made several direct gifts to the College relating to his personal interests such as the care of the campus and grounds. From his estate the college received over $10 million dollars for the endowment of Oberlin College, and left money for the erection of an auditorium in remembrance of his mother, Sophronia Brooks Hall. Others benefitted from his legacy as well, including Berea College, the American Missionary Association, and educational programs in Asia and the Balkans, including the Oberlin Shansi Memorial Association and the Harvard-Yenching Institute.

Extent

10.00 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The original order of the collection has been maintained to the extent possible, allowing only minimum rearrangement. One carton of separations contains envelopes, file covers, and wrappers that were removed to facilitate proper storage. No documentation has been separated.

Method of Acquisition

The Charles Martin Hall Collection was transferred under a deed of gift to the Oberlin College Archives from the corporate headquarters of ALCOA in August 1989. The deed of gift is signed by Roland M. Baumann on behalf of the Oberlin College Archives, and Norman J. Belt representing ALCOA. The collection was received in one lot of 10 record center cartons. The material came into the custody of the ALCOA Corporate Archives Library through a variety of sources. The bulk of the original Hall correspondence was presented to the Aluminum Company of America in 1936 by Louie A. Hall (1870-1944). The majority of the biographical items were incorporated into the collection as part of an organic vertical file.

In 1986 two cartons of records from the 1891-1903 litigation with the Cowles Electric Smelting and Aluminum Company were uncovered in storage. These records show the effects of latent storage, including a coating of soot, and many curled and crumbling items. The original order of these records has been disturbed many times, primarily when they were subpoenaed by the Government in the 1938 ALCOA monopoly suit. The records were disturbed to such an extent that envelopes no longer contained their original contents, and many of the documents were alienated. Two reels of microfilm were produced in 1986, including a portion of the court records.

Accruals and Additions

Accession No: 1989/173.

Related Materials

For other material pertaining to Charles Martin Hall, the researcher is advised to consult the following sources: Papers of Oberlin College President Henry Churchill King (2/6), and the papers of presidential assistants, William Frederick Bohn (3/1) and Charles Whiting Williams (3/2); Treasurer's Office Records (7/1/5); Chemistry Department Records (9/10/1); Irving W. Metcalf Papers (30/9); George Whitfield Andrews Papers (30/54); and the Azariah Smith Root Papers (30/57). A complete copy of the Last Will and Testament is contained in the records of the Treasurer’s Office (7/1/4). Norman C. Craig gathered a large body of Hall research material (mostly duplicates) as part of the centenary of Hall's discovery in 1886, and they are to be found in the Norman C. Craig Papers (30/177). In 2008 Craig wrote a report on the restoration and relocation of the Hall plaque in Tappan Square.

For replicas of the first aluminum pellets Hall produced, see the Archives Museum Collection.