An American mechanical engineer who developed the petrol anti-knock additive tetraethyl lead and contributed to the production of Freon refrigerants. The son of an inventor, he qualified with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1911. While working for General Motors, he developed the lead additive for which he won an award from the American Chemical Society in recognition of his achievements. However, his health suffered from the effects of working with lead. He later worked on the development of a new type of chemically inert refrigerant to replace earlier refrigerants that were toxic, flammable, and explosive such as ammonia. Dichlorofluoromethane was the first CFC to be developed called Freon and others followed for which he received various awards of recognition. He was president of the American Chemical Society in 1944.