Evening star., 1938-12-08
Dr.. Charles Munroe,
Noted Chemist,
Dies al 80
Inventor Of SmokeIess
Powder Was Leader
In Education Field

DR.. Charles Edward Munroe, So
famous chemist. educator and in
ventor of explosives, died yesterday
at his home in Forest Glen, Md
DR.. Munroes wife, the former
Mary Louise Barker, daughter of
the late Prof. George Frederick
Barker of the University of Penn
sylvania, and the inventors chill
dren were at his bedside when he
died.
Funeral services will be held at
10:45 am. tomorrow at the S. H.
Hines funeral home, Fourteenth and
Harvard streets NV. Burial will
be in West Laurel Hills Cemetery at
Philadelphia, Pa.
DR.. Munroe was the only surviv-
ing charter member Of the Amer
ican Chemical Society and had a
long career in the field of chem
istry. He carried on extensive re-
search and also taught at universi-
ties, including Harvard, the Naval
Academy and finally at George
Washington University.
Invented Smokeless Powder.
The inventor of the first type
of smokeless powder for use in large
guns, DR.. Munroe was the holder of
numerous other distinctions which
included decorations from foreign
governments.
He was born of Revolutionary
stock at Cambridge, Mass, May "a,
1849. He was graduated summa cum
1aude from Harvard University in
1871, and later took a degree at
George Washington University.
Immediately after his graduation
from Harvard DR., Munroe estab-
lished there the first course in
chemical technology, which he re-
garded as one of the most useful
acts of his career.
In 1874 he left Harvard to become
professor of chemistry at the United
States Naval Academy, where he
remained until 1885, The next six
years he spent at the United States
Naval Torpedo Station at Newport,
R. l., and 1t was during this period
he invented smokeless powder, the
development of which was charac-
terized by President Benjamin Har-
rison in 1892 as one of the most
noteworthy achievements of his ad-
ministration.
Was G. w. U. Dean.
DR.. Munroe was head professor
OF chemistry at the Corcoran Sci
entif1c School from 1892 to 1918, and
during his first six years there was
the schools dean. Corcoran School
later became the George Washing
ton University School of Engineer
ing.
He founded. and became dean Of
the School of Graduate Studies at
George Washington University in
1893 retiring in 1918 as dean
emeritus.
His activities during his long
career included work in many fields,
He was chairman of the committee
on explosives investigations of the
National Research Council, chief
explosives chemist of the United
States Bureau of Mines, and con-
sultant to the Forest Service on the
same subject.
Author of more than 100 books
and papers on chemistry and high
explosives, he also acted as con-
sultant on the engineering board
which planned the defense of Wash
ington during the Spanish american
War, and supplied technical services
to the Geological Survey, the Civil
Service Commission, the American
Railway Association and numerous
other public and private agencies.
Received Foreign Decorations.
DR.. Munroe's decorations by for
elgn governments included his ap-
pointment as commandant of the
Order of Medjidieh, by the Sultan
OF Turkey in 1901, and as an officer
OF the Order of Leopold of Belgium.
He was member of many scientific,
professional and scholarly organiza-
tlons and was past president of
the Cosmos Club and a member of
the Alfalfa Club.
In addition to his wife, with