Camille E. Dreyfus
Celanese Corporation
Inducted 1974
Camille (1878 – 1956) and Henri Dreyfus (1882 – 1944) were brothers and developers of the technology of cellulose acetate fibers, lacquers, and molding compounds. They were founders of British Celanese, Ltd. in 1916 and the Celanese Corporation in 1918 in the United States. Born in Basel, Switzerland, the brothers were educated in Basel, where Camille received his Ph.D. in 1901 and Henry in 1904. Their interest was applied science, initially spurred by the need for a nonflammable film—as a substitute for celluloid—for the fledgling photography and motion picture industries. Working in a shed behind their father’s house from 1904 to 1905, they developed the first commercial process to manufacture cellulose acetate. In 1908, the Dreyfus brothers began creating a production process for cellulose acetate film and fibers, making products with unprecedented solubility and high viscosities. By 1910, they produced cellulose acetate commercially to make films, toiletry articles, and other molded products. They opened a factory in Basel in 1913 and sold products to the growing celluloid industry in France and Germany and motion picture companies. They tapped into the large market for movie films that would not combust if projectors malfunctioned.
The First World War interrupted the brothers’ developing work on commercial fibers. Still, their cellulose acetate films and fibers proved important to the war effort, playing an especially significant role in the growing importance of aerial warfare. Their fiber was uniquely suited for coating and preserving airplane wings’ fabric to impart tautness, resiliency, waterproofing, and, most importantly, non-flammability. The aircraft wings used by England, France, Italy, and the United States were coated with dope made from cellulose acetate produced by the Dreyfus brothers in England. In 1917, the U.S. government asked the brothers to establish a plant in America for the same purpose.
In 1919, the brothers resumed their efforts to commercialize cellulose acetate fibers. They encountered numerous challenges, not the least of which was dyeing the fibers. In 1921, British Celanese, Ltd. began commercial manufacture of acetate fibers trademarked as Celanese. The efforts of several dyestuff manufacturers and outstanding British dyers were enlisted, and a solution was found: insoluble dyes finely dispersed in oil. The fiber could then be dyed in a range of shades sufficiently wide and colorfast for the commercial markets. This achievement constitutes one of the most important chapters in the history of the dyeing industry. In 1921, the British Celanese Corporation began commercial production of acetate yarn, taking advantage of several new inventions, ranging from the technique used to spin thread to the treatment of dyed fibers.
Camille Dreyfus guided the foundation of the “The American Cellulose & Chemical Manufacturing Company” (known as “Amcelle” for short) in New York and the construction of a facility in Cumberland, Maryland, where in 1924, Amcelle began producing cellulose acetate. After the death of Celluloid pioneer John Wesley Hyatt in 1920, The Dreyfuses gained controlling interest in the Celluloid Corporation. They acquired it in 1927, the same year the company changed its name to the Celanese Corporation of America. The company commenced trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1930 and produced plastics, chemicals, and fibers, becoming one of the world’s largest chemical companies. In 1926, Celanese Canada, a publicly traded company, was formed, with Amcelle owning the majority share. From 1927 onwards, cellulose acetate, “artificial silk,” was produced at the Canadian factory in Drummondville. Camille Dreyfus, who had a considerable flair for finance, sales, and business, managed the Celanese Corporation in the U.S., focusing on consumer cellulose acetate.
The Camille and Henri Dreyfus Foundation was established in 1946. The foundation supports advancement and research in the chemical sciences.
Camille was named Officer of the Legion of Honor by the French Government. He also received the Modern Pioneer Award from the National Association of Manufacturers. He was posthumously inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastic management, Plastic materials
Related Links:
The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, “History,” online at: http://www.dreyfus.org/about/history.shtml
Dinsmoor, Dorothy. “Camille and Henry Dreyfus: Two Pioneers and the Foundation that Honors Them,” Presentation at the 220th Annual American Chemical Society Meeting, August 21, 2000, online at: http://www.dreyfus.org/about/two_pioneers.shtml