Today in Wheeling History: February 27 — Melvin De Groote, one of America's most prolific inventors, was born in Wheeling (1895).
Melvin De Groote, born February 27, 1895, in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Louis and Jennie (Fuld) DeGroote, became one of the most celebrated inventors in American history. His parents, both of German-Jewish heritage, had immigrated to the United States and settled in Wheeling before relocating to Sistersville, West Virginia, by 1900. Growing up during Sistersville's oil boom likely sparked his lifelong fascination with petroleum chemistry. He attended Sistersville High School before earning a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Ohio State University in 1915.
After graduation, De Groote worked briefly at Maxwell Motor Company before joining the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research in Pittsburgh as a flavorings expert. While there, he was rumored to have been hired by Coca-Cola to reformulate its syrups to remove alcoholic ingredients banned under Prohibition, though the company has never acknowledged any changes to its recipes. In 1924 he was recruited as chief research chemist at Tret-O-Lite Company in St. Louis, remaining with the firm — later merged into Petrolite Corporation — for 36 years, retiring in 1960 as vice president of research and development.
De Groote amassed 925 U.S. patents, primarily for chemical de-emulsifying agents that separate crude oil from water, salt, and sulfur. He also invented the formula allowing chocolate to adhere to ice cream, contributing to the Eskimo Pie. "Time" magazine's 2000 millennium issue ranked him second only to Thomas Edison among American inventors. Ohio State honored him with the Lamme Medal in 1950 and an honorary Doctorate of Science in 1955. He received the American Chemical Society's Midwest Award in 1959.
De Groote married Esther Grossman in 1922; the couple had two children. He died February 3, 1963, in University City, Missouri, and is buried at Valhalla Cemetery in St. Louis County. His parents are buried at Mount Wood Cemetery in Wheeling.
To learn more: Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/mr3mm6w6), The Ohio State University (https://tinyurl.com/424yyvvn) (https://tinyurl.com/5ey2zrfm) (https://tinyurl.com/5ekunekx), Biographies (https://tinyurl.com/asftnrks), Prabook (https://tinyurl.com/377dnf94) (https://tinyurl.com/rhj48xdw), Geni (https://tinyurl.com/dnctr6a), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/55yhwze6) (https://tinyurl.com/4u64wpfd) (https://tinyurl.com/3y4tmhjs), Homestead Hebrew Data (https://tinyurl.com/w5ajzb3f), SciSpace (https://tinyurl.com/3hjdy3jt), Carnegie Mellon University (https://tinyurl.com/3bnpyt2e), Business Insider (https://tinyurl.com/3vp2xdpn), Royal Society of Chemistry (https://tinyurl.com/ye2xurme), Encyclopedia.com (https://tinyurl.com/477xb8vb), Harvard Business School (https://tinyurl.com/yc8mtk8a), Stacker.com (https://tinyurl.com/38kfsjr4), Company-Histories.com (https://tinyurl.com/nu2e92dp), The Lantern (https://tinyurl.com/yrcfytca), Newspapers.com (https://tinyurl.com/257bkbwa)
Photo credits: The Ohio State University Archives, Google Maps, Wikimedia Commons, Find a Grave
Melvin De Groote, born February 27, 1895, in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Louis and Jennie (Fuld) DeGroote, became one of the most celebrated inventors in American history. His parents, both of German-Jewish heritage, had immigrated to the United States and settled in Wheeling before relocating to Sistersville, West Virginia, by 1900. Growing up during Sistersville's oil boom likely sparked his lifelong fascination with petroleum chemistry. He attended Sistersville High School before earning a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Ohio State University in 1915.
After graduation, De Groote worked briefly at Maxwell Motor Company before joining the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research in Pittsburgh as a flavorings expert. While there, he was rumored to have been hired by Coca-Cola to reformulate its syrups to remove alcoholic ingredients banned under Prohibition, though the company has never acknowledged any changes to its recipes. In 1924 he was recruited as chief research chemist at Tret-O-Lite Company in St. Louis, remaining with the firm — later merged into Petrolite Corporation — for 36 years, retiring in 1960 as vice president of research and development.
De Groote amassed 925 U.S. patents, primarily for chemical de-emulsifying agents that separate crude oil from water, salt, and sulfur. He also invented the formula allowing chocolate to adhere to ice cream, contributing to the Eskimo Pie. "Time" magazine's 2000 millennium issue ranked him second only to Thomas Edison among American inventors. Ohio State honored him with the Lamme Medal in 1950 and an honorary Doctorate of Science in 1955. He received the American Chemical Society's Midwest Award in 1959.
De Groote married Esther Grossman in 1922; the couple had two children. He died February 3, 1963, in University City, Missouri, and is buried at Valhalla Cemetery in St. Louis County. His parents are buried at Mount Wood Cemetery in Wheeling.
To learn more: Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/mr3mm6w6), The Ohio State University (https://tinyurl.com/424yyvvn) (https://tinyurl.com/5ey2zrfm) (https://tinyurl.com/5ekunekx), Biographies (https://tinyurl.com/asftnrks), Prabook (https://tinyurl.com/377dnf94) (https://tinyurl.com/rhj48xdw), Geni (https://tinyurl.com/dnctr6a), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/55yhwze6) (https://tinyurl.com/4u64wpfd) (https://tinyurl.com/3y4tmhjs), Homestead Hebrew Data (https://tinyurl.com/w5ajzb3f), SciSpace (https://tinyurl.com/3hjdy3jt), Carnegie Mellon University (https://tinyurl.com/3bnpyt2e), Business Insider (https://tinyurl.com/3vp2xdpn), Royal Society of Chemistry (https://tinyurl.com/ye2xurme), Encyclopedia.com (https://tinyurl.com/477xb8vb), Harvard Business School (https://tinyurl.com/yc8mtk8a), Stacker.com (https://tinyurl.com/38kfsjr4), Company-Histories.com (https://tinyurl.com/nu2e92dp), The Lantern (https://tinyurl.com/yrcfytca), Newspapers.com (https://tinyurl.com/257bkbwa)
Photo credits: The Ohio State University Archives, Google Maps, Wikimedia Commons, Find a Grave
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