George W. Merck

His father had emigrated from Germany in 1891 to oversee the new office of E. Merck and Company at 62 Wall Street.

He was raised in Llewellyn Park, New Jersey, where he had access to Thomas Edison's workshop.

During the interwar years, he oversaw Merck's involvement in the development of synthetic vitamins, sulfas, antibiotics, and hormones.

[2] He was on the cover of Time magazine on August 18, 1952, illustrating a story about the American drug industry.

He served as president of the Manufacturing Chemists' Association from 1949 to 1952 and was also on the board of the National Science Foundation.