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Chairs of the CIAAW

The Great International Committee on Atomic Weights was established in 1899 and it consisted of more than fifty representatives from many countries. During the early years, the Committee did not have a formal Chair yet Hans H. Landolt can be considered its Acting Chair. In 1902, the International Committee was reduced to three members with Frank W. Clarke as its inaugural Chair. Since 1899, there have been nineteen Chairs (Presidents) of the CIAAW.

CIAAW Chairs

Nr.NameCountryTenure
1Hans H. LandoltGerman Empire1899-1901
2Frank W. ClarkeUSA1902-1921
3Georges UrbainFrance1922-1929
4Gregory P. BaxterUSA1930-1949
5Edward WichersUSA1950-1959
1964-1967
6Tomas BatuecasSpain1960-1963
7Norman N. GreenwoodUK1968-1975
8Etienne RothFrance1976-1979
9Norman E. HoldenUSA1980-1983
10Raymond L. MartinAustralia1984-1987
11John de LaeterAustralia1988-1991
12Klaus G. HeumannGermany1992-1995
13Ludolf SchultzGermany1996-2001
14Philip D.P. TaylorBelgium2002-2003
15Tiping DingChina2004-2007
16Roberto GonfiantiniItaly2008-2009
17Willi A. BrandGermany2010-2013
18Juris MeijaCanada2014-2021
19Johanna IrrgeherAustriafrom 2022

In the past the Commission had also the distinctions of a Honorary President and a Vice President. Frank W. Clarke (1921-1926), Sir Thomas Edward Thorpe (1921-1926) and Gregory Baxter (1950-1954) have served as Honorary Presidents of the CIAAW whereas Robert Whytlaw-Gray (1952-1956), Tomas Batuecas (1958-1960) and Arne Olander (1960-1968) have served as Vice Presidents of the CIAAW.

During the 1949 Commission meeting in Amsterdam the position of Commission Secretary was introduced. The former IUPAC vice-president (1934-1938) Enrique Moles Ormella from the Instituto Ibys, Madrid, was elected Secretary. Moles served in this position until his death in 1953.

CIAAW Secretaries

Nr.NameCountryTenure
1Enrique MolesSpain1950-1953
2Jules GuéronBelgium/France1960-1969
3H. Steffen PeiserUSA1970-1975
4Norman E. HoldenUSA1976-1979
5Raymond L. MartinAustralia1980-1983
6John de LaeterAustralia1984-1987
7Klaus G. HeumannGermany1988-1991
8Tyler B. CoplenUSA1992-1995
9Robert D. Vocke, Jr.USA1996-1999
10Robert D. LossAustralia2000-2003
11Michael E. WieserCanada2004-2011
12Juris MeijaCanada2012-2013
13Thomas ProhaskaAustria2014-2021
14Jochen VoglGermanyfrom 2022

Hans Landolt

Wikimedia Commons

Hans H. Landolt (1831-1910) was the Acting Chair of the Great International Committee on Atomic Weights from 1899-1902.


Frank W. Clarke

Wikimedia Commons

Frank W. Clarke (1847-1931) was the inaugural Chair of the International Commission of Atomic Weights from 1902-1921.


Georges Urbain

Roger Violett

Georges Urbain (1872-1938) served as the Chair from 1922-1929. He is a co-discoverer of the element lutetium