Donald Fletcher Holmes (September 29, 1910 – October 13, 1980) was an American chemist and inventor.
Holmes, along with William Hanford, invented the process for making the multipurpose material polyurethane.
[1] Mixing polyols and hydroxyl compounds with di-isocyanates is the basis today for the manufacture of all polyurethanes.
Polyurethane can be used in, but is not limited to, life-saving artificial hearts, safety padding in modern automobiles, and in carpeting.
[1] In 1931, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Organic Chemistry from Amherst College in Massachusetts.