William Edward Hanford

Who was William Edward Hanford?

Dr. William Edward "Butch" Hanford was an American chemist who is best known for developing the modern process to make multipurpose material polyurethane. Hanford’s most notable discovery occurred while working with fellow chemist Dr. Donald Fletcher Holmes at DuPont. On June 2, 1942, Hanford was awarded a patent for his process. Currently, this method is responsible for manufacturing many of the plastics that are used in medicine, the automotive industry, and consumer products. Hanford’s later accomplishments included the development of the first liquid household detergent and a new kind of ammunition for Winchester-Western Company. For his work, Hanford was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1991. The New York Times has noted that Hanford’s developments were "monumental."