THE ATOMIC HALIFAX SAGA, Pt. IV - The Chemist and Metallurgist from Enterline

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member

August 6, 2025

James Irvin Hoffman, Sergeant in the CWS, 1912. Photograph provided by Hoffman Family.

Oh, you thought I was done?! No no no, we have not reached the end yet my friends! Though it has been some time since this saga has been continued, the stories of the Hoffman Family have never left my mind.

To finally end the era of stories from WWII, I feel it is absolutely necessary to touch on the father of John Drake Hoffman...in two parts.

James Irvin Hoffman: Origins

James Irvin Hoffman (JIH) was born October 26th, 1893, to Peter Albright Hoffman and Ida E. (Shoop) Hoffman in Enterline, PA. Peter was a farmer, and Ida was a farm wife. In a story passed down from JIH to his son John Drake Hoffman (and eventually to John's sons Jim, Robert, and Mark Hoffman), James Irvin told that "the brains in the family came from Ida."

An amusing but true story as far as I can witness," Jim Hoffman said when asked about the family history. "JIH told JDH early on, who told my brothers and I later. No disrespect was intended towards Peter who was a hardworking farmer; I am not sure what JIH noticed about his mother’s activities that convinced him of that idea. After Peter died from a farming equipment accident in 1932, the necessity of keeping Ida and her family secure on the farm became paramount, and many old documents and legal arrangements were made by and for JIH and Ida, and she was quite well-versed in all those matters, so that may have led to JIH’s comment."

JIH had two younger brothers Ira and Clarence, one younger sister Elsie, and one older half-sister Nora, but she unfortunately perished from influenza in 1920. JIH taught at Ulrich’s One-Room Schoolhouse in Halifax (near Armstrong Creek and Ridge Road) in 1913 after graduating from high school in 1912 (Hane, P., 2022). He went to Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster and graduated in 1918 with a degree in German and chemistry.

It was also recently discovered by the Hoffman family that JIH was a chemist for the Atlas Powder Company, which was formed as at the breakup of Du Pont Powder Company in 1912. APC manufactured explosives and chemicals in America.

In later years, he received his M.S. degree in 1921 at George Washington University and his PhD. at American University in 1930.

Left: James Irvin Hoffman Halifax Area High School graduation photo, 1912. Hoffman is standing in the rear at the far right. Photograph provided by Hoffman Family.

Right: Thought to be Franklin and Marshall Chemical Lab, though the location is not certain. James Irvin Hoffman can be seen in the middle, seated. Photograph provided by the Hoffman Family.

Marriage and Death

In 1921, JIH married Mabel Irene Hemminger from Millersburg. It should be clearly noted that Mabel's last name was in fact "Hemminger" and not "Henninger," another more popular family name here in the Valley.

The two were happily married and moved to an apartment in the nation's capitol, but in an incredible moving of fate, their married lives were almost cut short by what many claim is the most terrible disaster to take place in Washington D.C.

On January 28th, 1922, Mabel and Jim were considering going to go that night to the famed Knickerbocker Theatre in the city, but luckily thought better of it, and stayed at home due to the heavy snowfall that had been taking place for approximately three or more days. That very night, shortly after 9 PM while showing a movie, the roof of the Knickerbocker Theater collapsed, killing 98 people, and injured 133 more. The force of the collapse was so sudden and complete that some people near the doors were blown out of the building, as the air pressure was so great.

Thus, the Hoffman couple unknowingly avoided a historically life-altering...and perhaps life-ending event that, as we will see based on the scientific contributions of JIH, may have caused a ripple-effect of even greater consequences for the world.

The Knickerbocker Theatre before and after the tragic incident in 1922. Photographs procured from Library of Congress.

The Call of Duty

James Irvin was inducted into the United States Army at Elizabethville in April 29, 1918. He served in the Chemical Warfare Service (CWS) during the tail end of World War I and was honorably discharged on December 28, 1918 as a Sergeant.

The CWS trained and equipped the AEF for chemical combat. Also created as the chemical offensive arm of the AEF, the First Gas Regiment was formed and trained to provide the chemical offensive punch, and did so in the Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel campaigns.

- Chemical Corps Regimental Association

During the war, it is believed (with currently limited information) that James Irvin's group had worked on gas masks primarily, to assist in protecting soldiers from the deadly chemical agents (such as chlorine gas) released by the Central Powers. Though uncertainty surrounds the outcome of JIH's work in the CWS due to a lack of records from that time, it is known that the CWS was working at the old NBS (now known as NIST) location.

Top: James Irvin Hoffman, Sergeant in the CWS, 1912. Photograph provided by Hoffman Family.

Bottom: Hoffman's CWS company shown in two photos; notice in the first how they are at attention, whereas in the second they are more relaxed, many even smiling and laughing. The photo on the left is from Nov. 1st, 1918, and he is standing in front, right over the "W" in Warfare. The photo on the right is from Nov.13th, 1918, and shows him in front, his hat and JIH are above the "W" in Warfare. Photographs provided by Hoffman Family.

When the war ended and James Irvin was released from the military, he accepted a position at that same NBS location in 1919 and got his M.S. degree from George Washington University in 1921. He published papers with G. Lundell in 1921 and 1923 on determination of nickel and cobalt in steels and on analysis of chrome-vanadium steel. This was probably work described in his M.S. thesis.

Hoffman co-authored a handful of books with Lundell (who would become the Chief Chemist of NBS), and Bright, including "Chemical Analysis of Iron and Steel" (1931). He also co-authored with Hillebrand, Lundell, and Bright "Applied Inorganic Analysis" (1953).  

"Chemical Analysis of Iron and Steel," along with his numerous scientific papers on metals and related subjects, helped give him the technical background and expertise that would soon be needed when the world again erupted into war and a top-secret program was established: the Manhattan Project.

As this article releases on the 80th Anniversary of remembrance of the first atomic bomb falling on Japan, I realize that this saga is finally nearing its end. Tune in next time as we wrap the story of James Irvin Hoffman and his wartime escapades.

James Irvin Hoffman, c. 1915 Photograph provided by Hoffman Family.

References:

Chemical Corps Regimental Association. (2018, February 22). Chemical Corps history. CCRA. https://www.ccrassn.org/history/#:~:text=The%20CWS%20trained%20and%20equipped,Mihiel%20campaigns

Hane, P. (2022, November). A Dream Fulfilled: Boyer Memorial School. 2nd ed. Halifax Area Historical Society. (pp.143, 169).