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Biography · Science & Inventions

Esther A. Hopkins

1926–2021

United States

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Biography

Esther Arvilla Hopkins (née Harrison; September 18, 1926 – May 19, 2021) was an American chemist, environmental attorney and politician. Hopkins was best known for her career as a biophysicist and research chemist at American Cyanamid along with research in the Polaroid Corp Emulsion Coating and Analysis Laboratory, becoming a Fellow of the American Chemical Society in 2011. She also pursued a career working as an attorney with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), then becoming the first African-American woman elected to office in Framingham, Massachusetts.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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