Mathew Carey Lea (August 18, 1823 – March 15, 1897) was an American chemist known for his research on the chemical and physical properties of silver halide salts and their usage in photography. He pioneered early work in mechanochemistry and developed Carey Lea Silver, a photochemical still in use today.
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Early life and education
Lea was born in Philadelphia on August 16, 1823. His father, Isaac Lea was a publisher, conchologist and geologist. His grandfather was Mathew Carey, the Irish-American publisher and economist.
He received his education through private tutors including the mathematician Eugenius Nulty. Lea received a classical education including the trivium (grammar, logic and rhetoric), quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music and celestial navigation). classical languages and history. Nulty immersed Lea in a single subject for long periods to encourage its complete mastery. Lea also received instruction in the Booth & Boy private chemical laboratory.
On July 14, 1852, Lea married Elizabeth Jaudon (1827-1881), sister of his brother, Henry Charles Lea's wife. Elizabeth had earlier married merchant William Bakewell, but Blakewell had died in Cincinnati in 1850, leaving her with a young daughter. The couple had a son, George Henry Lea (1853–1915), who helped in the family publishing business. After Elizabeth's death, Carey Lea married Eva Lovering, daughter of Harvard Professor Joseph Lovering, but they had no children.