The Remsen House
Ira Remsen, M.D., Class of 1865 (1846-1927)
Advisory Dean: Daniel Zelazny, M.D.
House Color - Pink
Ira Remsen was born in New York City in 1846. After receiving his early education in the public schools he entered the College of the City of New York for his undergraduate training. Ira came from a family of physicians, and in an effort to keep with the family tradition he enrolled at New York Medical College, which at the time was called New York School for Homeopathic Medicine.
From 1901 to 1912 he was President of Johns Hopkins University. His biography notes his influence on the study of chemistry, explaining that "he opened up a life work in chemistry as a career to many, and developed a spirit of research that spread over the country."
Dr. Remsen graduated in 1865, and continued in academia, having earned a Ph.D. in chemistry at age 24, he went onto become a professor and active chemist. He was co-discoverer of saccharin in 1878, and founded the American Chemical Journal in 1879, which was later absorbed by The Journal of the American Chemical Society.