Gustavus Hinrichs
The worldly Gustavus Hinrichs made his mark for research in chemistry, physics, astronomy, meteorology and geology, according to the Gustavus Hinrichs Papers, which is part of University Libraries Special Collections and University Archives.
One of his most notable accomplishments from his time at UI was being one of six researchers credited with the discovery of the Periodic System of Elements in the 1860s, according to the papers.
Hinrichs, who was fluent in five languages, joined the UI faculty in 1863 as a teacher of modern languages before being named professor and teacher of physical science in the Department of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy.
During his time at UI, Hinrichs developed a strong science program, which helped support the need to build North Hall in 1867, and he fought to locate the state’s medical college in Iowa City, according to a “Brief History of Gustavus Hinrichs, Discoverer of the DERECHO,” by Ray Wolf.
Hinrichs also wrote about an Amana Colonies meteorite shower, which fell on Feb. 12, 1875, in Iowa County, according to the papers. Hinrichs made early weather recordings, and in 1875 established the first state weather and crop service in the U.S., named the Iowa Weather Service, which he directed from 1875 to 1889.
However, Hinrichs also was “volatile, abrasive, and sometimes a vindictive,” and a shift in UI priorities away from the sciences started a long period of contentiousness between Hinrichs and UI leaders and faculty, according to Wolf’s piece. Hinrichs eventually was dismissed from the collegiate faculty in 1885 and the medical faculty in 1886, according to Wolf’s piece.