By 1919, when she was appointed to the faculty of Harvard University, Alice Hamilton had achieved international recognition as the leading American expert on industrial hygiene and toxicology. Thus, it was not just that she was “…about the only candidate available, as she wrote in her autobiography, she was the best candidate! Of course, there had been considerable controversy among the members of the “Corporation” (equivalent to our Board of Regents) over her appointment.

Not long after her appointment, objections arose about her involvement in the Quaker Relief Fund for Starving German Children. A member of the “Board of Overseers” and a major fundraiser for the industrial hygiene program, Dr. Frederick Shattuck, advised her that an important donor had threatened to withhold further contributions as long as a “pro German” was on the faculty. Shattuck asked Alice to cease her public advocacy activities. Her answer was contained in a letter dated December 9th, 1919 (Slide 33).