Description
Joseph B. Koepfli (b. 1904) was research associate in chemistry at Caltech from 1932 to 1971. His field of study was organic
chemistry, principally alkaloids and other physiologically active substances such as adrenalin and insulin. He was trained
in pharmacology and during World War II worked on developing antimalarial drugs. Koepfli's papers document a portion of his
chemical research as well as his role as a science adviser to the U.S. State Department.
Background
Joseph Blake Koepfli was born February 5, 1904, in Los Angeles. His father, Joseph Otto Koepfli (b. 1866), was a prominent
businessman and lawyer in Los Angeles. The family was of Swiss extraction on the father's side, and Norwegian on the mother's,
and consequently they spent much time traveling in Europe in the years between Joseph's birth and World War I. Joseph and
his sister Hortense were privately educated. Eventually Joseph was sent to the Harvard School in Los Angeles. He then attended
Stanford University, where he majored in chemistry (BA 1924, MA 1925). In 1925 he enrolled at Oxford and subsequently received
his PhD in chemistry there in 1928.
Restrictions
Copyright may not have been assigned to the California Institute of Technology Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on
behalf of the California Institute of Technology Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Availability
The collection is open for research. Researchers must apply in writing for access.