J Willard Hershey was an American chemist who was best known for his work on synthetic diamond

Synthetic diamond

Synthetic diamond is diamond produced in a technological process; as opposed to natural diamond, which is created in geological processes. Synthetic diamond is also widely known as HPHT diamond or CVD diamond, denoting the production method, High-Pressure High-Temperature synthesis and Chemical...

 production. There is, however, some doubt whether his success was real, or whether co-workers introduced the diamonds without his knowledge. He also studied the effects of rare gases such as helium on animal life.

He was awarded a B.S. degree in 1907 and an M.S. degree in 1910 by Gettysburg College

Gettysburg College

Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...

. He studied at Harvard in 1907 and 1908 and at Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University

The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...

 in 1910 and 1911, and was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Chicago

University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...

 in 1924. He was head of McPherson College

McPherson College

McPherson College was chartered in 1887 by the leaders of the Church of the Brethren. The college provides a career-oriented liberal arts education...

's chemistry department from 1918 to 1945, and became president of the Kansas Academy of Science in 1933.