Claude Hudson


Claude Silbert Hudson was an American chemist who is best known for his work in the area of carbohydrate chemistry. He is also the namesake of the Claude S. Hudson Award in Carbohydrate Chemistry given by the American Chemical Society.

Life and work

Hudson was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1881. Originally planning to become a minister, he enrolled in Princeton University, but soon his interests changed to science. He graduated from Princeton in 1901 with a bachelor's degree, and earned a Master of Science degree in 1902. He then went to Europe to study under Walther Nernst and Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff. On returning to the United States, Hudson worked as a physics instructor for a year at Princeton University and later at the University of Illinois, earning a Ph.D. in 1907. He later held positions at the National Bureau of Standards and the NIH, both in Washington, DC.
He was elected to the National Academy of Science in 1927.
Hudson is also remembered for the so-called Hudson's rules, concerning the optical rotation of sugars.
He was awarded the Elliott Cresson Medal in 1942 and the Willard Gibbs Award in 1929.

Selected early writings

The Claude S. Hudson Award in Carbohydrate Chemistry has been given since 1946 by the American Chemical Society. Awardees are listed below.