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Joseph LePage McCarthy papers, 1882-2001

Overview of the Collection

Creator
McCarthy, Joseph LePage, 1913-
Title
Joseph LePage McCarthy papers
Dates
1882-2001 (inclusive)
Quantity
32.55 cubic feet, (26 boxes)
Collection Number
3331
Summary
Correspondence, subject files, minutes, reports, travel files, appointment books, laboratory notebooks, grant proposals, research notes, conference presentation files, reports on trips to Russia, Taiwan and China, printed matter, ephemera of a professor of Chemical Engineering
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Some records stored offsite; advance notice required for use.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Dr. Joseph LePage McCarthy (1913-2000) was a research scientist, professor of chemical engineering and former dean of the University of Washington Graduate School. Born in 1913 in Spokane, he attended UW at age 17 and rowed on the varsity crew team before graduating with a degree in chemical engineering. He followed that with a master's degree and doctorate from the University of Idaho and McGill University.

Dr. McCarthy started teaching at the University of Washington Chemical Engineering Department in 1941 and became a full professor in 1947. He was elected as dean of the University of Washington Graduate School in 1959; he also served as president of the American Association of Graduate Schools and chairman of the board of the Council of Graduate Schools. During his tenure as dean, the UW Graduate School population more than doubled, from 2000 to 7000 students. He returned to teaching in 1975 and after retiring in 1983, was awarded emeritus status.

Dr. McCarthy's primary fields of research were thermodynamics and the chemistry and chemical engineering of wood cellulose. His research on lignin, the by-product of paper manufacture, is his most important contribution. During World War II, Dr. McCarthy developed a distillation process that produced industrial alcohol from the sugars in sulfite pulp mill effluents. Since industrial alcohol was a valuable material needed during the war, the process was quickly put into production at the Georgia Pacific pulp mill in Bellingham, Washington. Another significant contribution was his work in tackling pollution in Northwest waterways caused by pulp mills. Over a period of 13 years, he helped develop processes to reduce pulp mill odor and spent sulfite liquor discharge, resulting in a cleaner Puget Sound.

Outside of the academic world, Dr. McCarthy was active in Seattle's cultural scene. He was part of a team that incorporated the Pacific Science Center Foundation in 1962 and served as its president and Chairman of the Board. He was also on the boards of the Lakeside School, Pacific Northwest Arts Council, Seattle Opera, and Seattle Public Library Foundation.

Source: Seattle Times obituary, biographical file in box 24.

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Content Description

Research materials and writings on lignins in the pulp and paper industries, professional and personal correspondence, conference materials, journals containing notes on laboratories in Europe, Asia, and North America. It also contains correspondence and materials pertaining to Dr. McCarthy's term as Dean of the University of Washington Graduate School (1959-1975); his involvement with the Pacific Science Center Foundation and other Seattle arts organizations; extensive genealogy research on the McCarthy family.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Organized 3 series:

  • Series 1, Professional Papers
  • Series 2, Civic Involvement
  • Series 3, Personal Papers

Acquisition Information

Donated by Joseph LePage McCarthy, 1984, 1996, 1997. Donated by Joseph M. McCarthy, 2000, 2025.

Related Materials

The Diet (Organization) records (MSS Coll 4253)

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms


2014

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