Title: Edward Kremers Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1785-1941

Creator:

• Kremers, Edward, 1865-1941

Call Number: Wis Mss NB; PH 3784

Quantity: 3.8 c.f. (11 archives boxes) and photographs

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Papers, mainly 1880-1941, of Edward Kremers, a former University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of pharmacy (1889-1935), together with a small group of papers of his father, Gerhard Kremers. Edward Kremers' papers document his childhood in Milwaukee; the German Reformed Church; the Mission House, a Reformed Church preparatory school; and his education and training in pharmacy at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, the University of Wisconsin, and the universities of Bonn and Goettingen. General correspondence concerns his personal life and the German religious and cultural environment in which he lived, as well as many of his later professional activities. Additional essays, reminiscences, and subject files concern various topics related to science and pharmacy, post-retirement travel, and his pro-German biases on foreign policy. A large portion of the correspondence is written in German script, although translations are included for his correspondence with his fiancée. Additional professional papers are incorporated in the extensive Kremers' Reference Collection held by the University of Wisconsin Pharmacy Library. Gerhard Kremers' papers consist of reminiscences about the family's immigration to Manitowoc County in 1848 and later to Milwaukee; “Die Reise,” a discourse on social history and religion; and school lesson books.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis000nb

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Edward Kremers, son of Gerhard and Elise Kamper Kremers, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on February 23, 1865. He attended the Humboldt School in Milwaukee until the age of fourteen, and in the fall of 1879 entered the Mission House, a Reformed Church preparatory school, at Sheboygan. Following his graduation in 1882, Kremers served as an apprentice for two years at the Lotz Pharmacy in Milwaukee, and in 1884 he undertook two semesters of study at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. Having returned to Wisconsin in 1885, Kremers worked as an assistant pharmacist for Strohmeyer & Co., a drugstore in Milwaukee. In 1885, Kremers entered the University of Wisconsin at Madison, completing his undergraduate study in three years. During his first year, he was a senior in the Pharmacy course and earned his Ph.G. (Graduate in Pharmacy). The second year, he acted as laboratory assistant to Prof. Power, one of the world's leading researchers in volatile oils. The third year, he entered the General Science Course and graduated in June, 1888 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

In the fall of 1888 Kremers went abroad to study phytochemistry under Dr. Otto Wallach, first at Bonn and later at Goettingen. In Bonn, Kremers also attended the lectures on structural chemistry. Phytochemistry and structural chemistry would remain two main fields of Kremers' studies, and it was in those fields that he gained a world-wide reputation. The dissertation with which Kremers fulfilled the requirements for his doctoral degree at Goettingen in 1890 dealt with the isomerisms within the terpene group.

Returning to Madison, Kremers became an instructor in pharmacy from 1889 to 1892 and professor of pharmaceutical chemistry and director of the pharmacy course at the University of Wisconsin from 1892 to 1935. As course director, Kremers was a national leader in the development of pharmacy curricula. He introduced the first voluntary four-year course leading to a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy. (Since 1932, this four-year course has been obligatory in all accredited American schools of pharmacy.) Likewise, Kremers established the first graduate work in America leading to the degree of doctor of philosophy for research in plant chemistry or pharmacy. In 1913, Kremers also initiated the first pharmaceutical experiment station in the United States, whereby the medicinal plant garden was made an adjunct to the textbook and lecture room. As a result, practical pharmacognosy found a permanent place in the pharmaceutical curriculum. It is likewise very probable that the courses in the history of pharmacy and the history of chemistry announced by Kremers for the first time in 1907-1908, were the first of their kind to be recognized subjects of instruction at an American University.

Kremers' contributions to the history and development of pharmacy and organic chemistry are also numerous. In 1902 he initiated the organization of a historical section of the American Pharmaceutical Association and thereby created the first organized pharmaceutico-historical group in the world.

Moreover, Kremers' pharmaceutico-historical collections formed the basis for the Kremers-Urdang History of Pharmacy (1940), the first book containing a systematic survey on the development of American pharmacy. In addition, Kremers served as historian and chairman for the scientific section of the American Pharmaceutical Association and as chairman of the committee on volatile oils for the United States Pharmacopoeia from 1900 to 1910. He also published “The Classification of Carbon Compounds” (1912), and translated Gildemeister-Hoffmann's The Volatile Oils.

As an editor, Kremers worked on various scholarly journals on the local and national levels. In 1900, Kremers edited a volume entitled The Badger Pharmacist. On the occasion of the 1930 meeting of the Wisconsin Pharmaceutical Association Kremers used the same title five times for publications primarily devoted to local pharmaceutical history. The Badger Pharmacist was revived again in 1936 and grew into a pharmaceutico-historical journal of national importance. Appearing at irregular intervals, it was the first American periodical devoted exclusively to the history of pharmacy. In 1898, Kremers created the Pharmaceutical Archives. Although discontinued in 1903, it was revived in 1936. From 1896 to 1901 Kremers and Frederick Hoffmann, co-edited The Pharmaceutical Review. After Hoffmann's death in 1901, Kremers remained as editor until the Review merged with the Midwest Druggist.

In addition to editing, Kremers took an active role in numerous pharmaceutical organizations. He was president of the American Conference of Pharmaceutical Faculties in 1902 and of the Wisconsin Pharmaceutical Association in 1930. Similarly, Kremers was honorary president of the American Pharmaceutical Association, 1933-1934, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, 1939-1940, and the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy, 1941; an honorary member of the Société d'Histoire de la Pharmacie and the Deutsche Pharmazeutische Gesellschaft; and a corresponding member of the Gesellschaft fuer Geschichte der Pharmazie. He was also a member of the American Chemical Society; the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters; Phi Beta Kappa; Sigma Xi; Rho Chi; and Phi Lambda Upsilon. Edward Kremers also received many professional awards, including the Ebert Prize twice (first in 1887 and again in 1900), the Remington Medal (1930), and an honorary Sc.D.h.c. from the University of Michigan in 1913.

On July 6, 1892, Edward Kremers married Laura Haase of Milwaukee. They had four children: Roland, Elsa, Laura, and Karl. He died on July 9, 1941.

The Kremers papers mainly consist of an accumulation of manuscripts from which he planned to write his memoirs. These files primarily cover his career prior to 1890, the year he completed his Ph.D. Files documenting his professional career as a teacher of pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin and as an active member of his profession are quite incomplete. Instead the primary documentation for that portion of his career is scattered within the Kremers Reference Collection held by the University Pharmacy Library.

The papers consist of correspondence, reminiscences, essays, memorabilia, photographs, clippings, and genealogical and biographical data and are divided into five sections: biographical material, Gerhard Kremers' papers, Edward Kremers' autobiographical reminiscences, correspondence, and subject files.

The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL contains articles from newspapers and journals about Kremers, a biographical sketch for Who's Who in American Education, and an obituary. It also contains a rough outline written in his own hand for ordering the papers.

GERHARD KREMERS' PAPERS contain an extensive reminiscence written in German script by Gerhard about the Kremers' settlement in 1848 on a farm near Manitowoc and their move to Milwaukee in 1855. Also included is an abridged English version of the reminiscence translated by Edward. Also present is a manuscript entitled “Die Reise,” which is a recollection through eight characters on religion and social history.

EDWARD KREMERS' AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL REMINISCENCES are by far the most complete section in the collection, retaining for the most part the order established by Kremers. They consist of very detailed reminiscences Kremers wrote during his retirement concerning facets of his life, friends, and associates. Unfortunately, he died before completing the project and many of the personalities listed in his outline in folder one do not appear in the collection. The draft autobiography covers Kremers' family history and his life up to 1890 and consists, in the main, of chronologically-ordered groups of subject files representing phases of Kremers' life as a child, student, and apprentice, as well as a section on the origins of the family name and other families to which he was related. Within each of these units the folders are alphabetically arranged. Some of the files contain original correspondence or related original material dating from the relevant period.

Kremers begins his writings with a discussion of the Kremers family name, a compilation of records concerning his family genealogy. These genealogy records and his “Wanderjahre” reminiscence in the Germany subject file provide essential background information for the Kremers collection. Picking up where his father left off, Edward Kremers begins his own memoirs by discussing his childhood in Milwaukee, his home on 4th Street, the Humboldt School, the Milwaukee River, and various athletic activities. He also continues the discussion begun in his father's papers of the German Reformed Church with a history of the denominaton in Milwaukee coupled with reminiscences on three ministers. The Mission House files provide further information on the German Reformed Church through Kremers' descriptions of its theology, its educational curriculum, and his classmates. Kremers' first chemistry notes are also included.

In the apprenticeship files Kremers describes the Milwaukee apothecary in which he worked; he describes in detail the shop layout, the equipment used, and the Milwaukee residents who frequented the store. In the files on the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, Kremers concentrates on his room and board, his classes, and pharmaceutical procedures at the college. In the assistantship files, during which Kremers worked at the Strohmeyer drugstore in Milwaukee, the significant documentation concerns the Wisconsin State Board of Pharmacy and the state quarterly licensing examination. The UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN files contain notes from Kremers' undergraduate classes, a register of course credits, letters from his classmates, papers concerning university organizations in which he took part (the Chemistry Club, the Natural History Club, and the Bildungs Verein), and a general reminiscence on his undergraduate days. There are also lengthy descriptions of university presidents Bascom, Chamberlain, and Van Hise; several professors; the community and campus buildings (especially North Hall), and the university's patron, Senator William Vilas.

In the files on his “Wanderjahre” in Germany (1889-90) Kremers discusses the people and places that he visited, especially the Cologne Cathedral and the Alps, and his relatives, the Schumachers and the Fuchs. The files also contain his chemistry notes, his dissertation, and correspondence with professors Wallach and Werner concerning family affairs and scientific activities.

The CORRESPONDENCE series is the main body of records in the collection concerning the period in which Kremers was a professor at the University of Wisconsin, spanning the period 1889 to 1941. Prior to 1900, the majority of the correspondence is written in German script and is of a very personal nature. This correspondence primarily concerns family matters, education, German political matters, and German-American social events. A large segment of the pre-1900 correspondence consists of letters exchanged between Edward Kremers and Laura Haase, who later became his wife. These letters concern Laura's teaching of German at the Humboldt School in Milwaukee, Kremers' teaching at the University of Wisconsin, their home life, and their political and social views. An English translation of their correspondence has been provided by their daughter Elsa. The post-1900 correspondence reveals more of Kremers' professional life. It concerns his guest lectures, his involvement with various pharmaceutical societies and journals, and national and local politics.

The final section of the Kremers Papers consists of alphabetically-arranged subject files collected, for the most part, by Kremers during his retirement years. This section consists of further reminiscences not included in his autobiographical plan, essays, and correspondence. Among the wide variety of topics covered are medicinal botany and gardening, community parks and state geography, pharmacy and chemical science, education, social reform, German heritage, post-retirement travel, awards, and the medicinal plants found in Wisconsin. The section also reveals Kremers' great concern for politics and foreign policy and his consistently pro-German biases in his correspondence with various members of the La Follette family and with The Nation magazine.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mrs. Edward Kremers, 1945 and 1953; and by Elsa Kremers Bennett, Burlington, Vermont, May 4, 1978 and July 5, 1979. Accession Number: M78-214 and M79-272

Processing Information

Processed by Randal Sivertson and Carolyn J. Mattern, 1988.

Wis Mss NB	Series: Biographical Material
Box   1 Folder   1	Biographical sketches, 1932-1941
PH 3784	Photographs of Kremers, his family and acquaintances, Mission House faculty and students, and German Reformed Church of Milwaukee pastors
Wis Mss NB	Series: Gerhard Kremers Papers	⇧
Box   1 Folder   9	Memorial book, 1906
Box   1 Folder   10	Milwaukee Gas and Light Company, Correspondence and history, 1940-1941, undated
	Reminiscences
Box   1 Folder   11	Emigration from the lower Rhine in 1848
Box   1 Folder   12-13	Settlement near Manitowoc
Box   1 Folder   14	Abridged translation by Edward Kremers
Box   1 Folder   15	“Die Reise”
Box   2 Folder   1	“Die Reise” (continued)
Box   2 Folder   2-3	School exercise books, 1837-1841
	Series: Edward Kremers' Autobiographical Reminiscences	⇧
	Family name and genealogy
Box   1 Folder   2	Family name
Box   1 Folder   3	Bovenschen-Bonnert family data, 1912
Box   1 Folder   4	Fuchs family data
Box   1 Folder   5	Kamper family data
Box   1 Folder   6	Kremers family data
Box   1 Folder   7	Salzer family data
Box   1 Folder   8	Schumacher family data
	Childhood in Milwaukee
Box   3 Folder   1	City census, plot, and directory reports
Box   3 Folder   2	Homestead on Fourth Street
Box   3 Folder   3	Humboldt School, Turn Verein, and church
Box   3 Folder   4	Milwaukee River and “swim hall”
Box   3 Folder   5	Neighbors
Box   3 Folder   6	Reminiscences from grandfather's viewpoint
	German Reformed Church
Box   3 Folder   7	History of German Reformed Church in Milwaukee, 1939-1940
	Pastors
Box   3 Folder   8	Kluge, J. T. and August, 1876-1886, undated
Box   3 Folder   9	Nott, Henry C., 1889-1939, undated
Box   3 Folder   10	Terborg, J. E., undated
	Mission House
Box   3 Folder   11	Alumni, 1931-1938
Box   3 Folder   12	Biography-“Three Years in the Mission House”
Box   3 Folder   13	Bossard, Jacob, 1937-1939
Box   3 Folder   14	Certificates and progress reports, 1880-1882
Box   3 Folder   15	Chemistry lecture notes
Box   3 Folder   16	Class notes and record books
Box   3 Folder   17	Correspondence from family while at Mission House, 1880-1882
Box   3 Folder   18	Denny, Melchior, 1884-1888
Box   3 Folder   19	Grosshuesch, J. W., 1936-19373
Box   3 Folder   20	History of Mission House
Box   3 Folder   21	Kurtz, Heinrich Wilhelm
Box   3 Folder   22	Muehlmeier, Hermann August
	Pharmacy apprenticeship
Box   4 Folder   1	Correspondence, 1882-1884
Box   4 Folder   2	Reminiscence, 1882-1884
	Philadelphia College of Pharmacy
Box   4 Folder   3	Reminiscence
Box   4 Folder   4	Correspondence, 1884
Box   4 Folder   5	Notes, 1884
Box   4 Folder   6	Assistantship
	University of Wisconsin
Box   4 Folder   7	Bildungs Verein, 1885-1887
Box   4 Folder   8	Chemical Club
Box   4 Folder   9-13	Classmates, 1887-1939
Box   4 Folder   14	Commencement, 1886-1888
Box   4 Folder   15-16	Correspondence, 1885-1888
Box   4 Folder   17	Delta Upsilon, 1885-1940
Box   4 Folder   18	Natural History Club, 1882-1925
Box   5 Folder   1	Pharmacy notes and analyses
Box   5 Folder   2	Register of credits and courses studied
Box   5 Folder   3	Reminiscence
Box   5 Folder   4	Travel in Dane and Sauk counties, 1888
	Germany
Box   5 Folder   5	Dissertation on isomer relationships, 1890
Box   5 Folder   6	Goettingen chemistry papers, 1890
Box   5 Folder   7-8	Professors, 1889-1938
	Reminiscence
Box   6 Folder   1	Cologne Cathedral
Box   6 Folder   2	Wanderjahre, 1888-1890
Box   6 Folder   3-4	Travel journal and papers, 1889-1890
	Series: Correspondence	⇧
Box   6 Folder   5-9	1886-1892
Box   7 Folder   1	Translation of the 1886-1892 correspondence
Box   7 Folder   2-7	1893-1937
Box   8 Folder   1	1938-1941
Box   8 Folder   2	Undated correspondence
	Series: Subject Files	⇧
Box   8 Folder   3	Acids
Box   8 Folder   4	American Pharmacy Association, 1931
Box   8 Folder   5	Bertram, J., 1890-1894
Box   8 Folder   6	Bills of sale, 1785
Box   8 Folder   7	Botany and gardening, 1912-1923
Box   8 Folder   8	Buschbauer, Hans, 1930
Box   8 Folder   9	Community parks and state geography
Box   8 Folder   10	Daily record, 1924
Box   8 Folder   11	Dohme lecture at John Hopkins University, 1931
	Essays
Box   8 Folder   12	Education
Box   8 Folder   13	Pharmacy and chemical science
Box   8 Folder   14	Societal reform
Box   9 Folder   1	Fifty years ago: articles on the history of pharmacy
Box   9 Folder   2	German heritage, 1933-1940
Box   9 Folder   3	La Follettes, 1918-1941
Box   9 Folder   4	Manitowoc County settlement, 1921-1933
Box   9 Folder   5	Medicinal plants
Box   9 Folder   6	Memberships and honorary titles, 1930-1941
Box   9 Folder   7	The Nation, correspondence, 1914-1940
Box   9 Folder   8-9	Personal and professional acquaintances
Box   9 Folder   10	Pharmacy College organization, 1935-1936
Box   9 Folder   11	Phytochemical amenities from the highlands
Box   10 Folder   1	Professional journals, 1919-1925
Box   10 Folder   2	Remington medal, 1930-1936
Box   10 Folder   3	Roedder, Edwin, 1929-1937
Box   10 Folder   4	Salaries and fellowships, 1929
Box   10 Folder   5	Testimonial banquet, 1940
Box   10 Folder   6	Decorated guest log, 1940
	Trips
Box   10 Folder   7	Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1939
Box   10 Folder   8	Atlanta, Georgia, 1939
Box   10 Folder   9	Burlington, Vermont, 1941
Box   10 Folder   10	Chicago, Illinois, 1938
Box   10 Folder   11	Cleveland, Ohio, 1936
Box   10 Folder   12	Decorah, Iowa, 1936
Box   10 Folder   13	Greenwich, Connecticut, 1937
Box   10 Folder   14	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1935-1940
Box   10 Folder   15	Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1938
Box   10 Folder   16	New York, New York, 1937
Box   11 Folder   1	Wisconsin, General, 1935-1940
Box   11 Folder   2	University of Wisconsin
Box   11 Folder   3	Walbaum, H., 1909-1935
Box   11 Folder   4	Weeds, etc.
Box   11 Folder   5	World War I, 1914-1918
Box   11 Folder   6	World War II, commentary on, 1940