Hall, Charles Martin

Hall, Charles Martin

(born Dec. 6, 1863, Thompson, Ohio, U.S.—died Dec. 27, 1914, Daytona Beach, Fla.) U.S. chemist. He attended Oberlin College, where, soon after graduating in 1885, he discovered the method of producing aluminum by electrolysis (simultaneously with Paul Héroult), an innovation that brought the metal into wide commercial use. Supported by the Mellon family, he formed the Pittsburgh Reduction Co. (later Alcoa). The need for cheap and plentiful power led the company to Niagara Falls, where in 1895 it became the first customer for Niagara's new power plant.

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Hall, Charles Martin (1863–1914) engineer, manufacturer; born in Thompson, Ohio. In 1886, shortly after graduating from Oberlin College, Hall developed a new means of producing aluminum. In 1888 he organized the Pittsburgh Reduction Company to manufacture aluminum. Because he greatly reduced its cost, Hall is credited with making the metal a staple of the U.S. economy.