Donald Holmes

Donald Fletcher Holmes
Born	29 September 1910(1910-09-29) Woodbury, New Jersey
Died	13 October 1980(1980-10-13) (aged 70)
Nationality	United States
Fields	Chemistry
Alma mater	Amherst College (1931) University of Illinois
Known for	Co-inventor of the process to develop multipurpose material polyurethane
Notable awards	National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee (1991)

Dr. Donald Fletcher Holmes (September 29, 1910 – October 13, 1980) was an American inventor. Holmes, along with Dr. William Edward Hanford, invented the process for making the multipurpose material polyurethane.^[1] He received the polyurethane patent in 1942.^[1] Mixing polyols and hydroxyl compounds with di-isocyanates is the basis today for the manufacture of all polyurethanes. Polyurethane can be used in, but is not limited to, life-saving artificial hearts, safety padding in modern automobiles, and in carpeting.

Holmes was born in Woodbury, New Jersey.^[1] In 1931, he earned a B.S. in Organic Chemistry from Amherst College in Massachusetts. He would later earn a master's and doctorate from the University of Illinois.^[1] Holmes was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1991.^[1]

Key patent

• Hanford, U.S. Patent 2,284,896, “Process For Making Polymeric Products And For Modifying Polymeric Products”

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Invent Now Hall of Fame – Donald Fletcher Holmes. Retrieved July 16, 2008.

Persondata
Name	Holmes, Donald Fletcher
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	September 29, 1910
Place of birth	Woodbury, New Jersey
Date of death	October 13, 1980
Place of death