Charles James (chemist), Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Charles James (chemist)

British chemist in the United States

Date of Birth: 27-Apr-1880

Place of Birth: Earls Barton, England, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 10-Dec-1928

Profession: chemist

Nationality: United Kingdom

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Charles James (27 April 1880 – 10 December 1928) was a chemist of British origin working in the United States.
After studying under William Ramsay at University College London, he joined the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts (now the University of New Hampshire).
He became a professor and head of the chemistry department, separating and identifying rare-earth elements by fractional precipitation and crystallization.
He isolated element 61, later named promethium and element 71, later named lutetium. In 1999 the American Chemical Society recognized Charles James's work in chemical separations as a National Historic Chemical Landmark.James was a beekeeper and a legend surrounds his death.
James died in the winter so that he could not be buried in the intended cemetery plot.
In the spring, he was reburied in the desired plot.
A day or two later a swarm of bees appeared at the grave.
Although the bees once belonged to James, he had given the bees to Jesse Hepler, who lived two miles away.
There is a legend, captured by John Greenleaf Whittier in the poem, "Telling the bees," which explains that someone must tell the bees of their master's death or they will fly away.
No one told the James-Hepler bees of James' death, so they flew away.
Miraculously they flew to the grave of their former master, two miles away.