John Bailar

John C. Bailar, Jr. (1904-1991) was a pioneering Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in the Chemistry Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he served for 63 years from 1928 until his death. Born in Golden, Colorado, he received a B.A. magna cum laude in 1924 and an M.A. in 1925 from the University of Colorado, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1928 from the University of Michigan under Moses Gomberg. He joined the UIUC faculty as an instructor in 1928, advancing to associate professor in 1930 and full professor in 1943. As Professor Emeritus, Bailar continued to influence the field profoundly.

Known as the father of American coordination chemistry, his research focused on stereochemistry of complex compounds, inorganic isomerism—establishing its counterpart to the organic Walden inversion—and areas including polymers, dyestuffs, solid-state reactions, and homogeneous catalysis. He trained 90 Ph.D. students, 38 postdoctoral fellows, and numerous bachelor's and master's candidates, making UIUC a world-renowned leader in inorganic chemistry and driving the post-World War II renaissance of the discipline. Key publications include the 37-part series "The Stereochemistry of Complex Compounds" (1934-1985), a classic article on octahedral complexes co-authored with Elias J. Corey (1959), and foundational roles in Inorganic Syntheses (1939) and the journal Inorganic Chemistry (1962). Bailar co-founded the ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry in 1957 as its first chairman, served as ACS President in 1959, and earned the Priestley Medal in 1964, the ACS's highest honor, plus the ACS Award in Chemical Education, ACS Award for Distinguished Service to Inorganic Chemistry, and Werner Gold Medal.