Dr. John Augustus Just (January 9, 1854 – September 13, 1908) was a German-born chemist and inventor. He is best known for his investigative work into recovery of precious metals from their ores and for completing the process for evaporating milk. For his scientific achievements, he was awarded a medal by the committee celebrating Berthelot's 50th anniversary. Just registered dozens of patents with the United States Patent Office. He also founded several companies in the Syracuse, New York area including the Just Mining and Extraction Company, the Just's Food Company, the Just Process Company and the Just Reduction Company. He belonged to numerous scientific societies, and his work in investigative chemistry gained him worldwide recognition.
Early life and education John Augustus Just claimed to have been born in Karlsbad, Germany; United States census records, however, indicate that he was born in the small town of Feilbingert in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He was one of five children. Their parents were Christian and Julia (Steel) Just; Christian was a merchant, interested in coal-mining. Little is known about Just's early years; William Martin Beauchamp wrote that "John A. Just from early boyhood days manifested the strong mentality and love of scientific research which have gained him eminence as a chemist". He attended German public schools, Bonn University, the technology school at Zurich and Heidelberg University (from which he graduated as Doctor of Science at age 18). Immediately after graduation Just emigrated to New York following the war between Germany and France, leaving Antwerp in the spring of 1874 and arriving in New York shortly afterwards. Upon his arrival he lived in New York City for 13 years, working as a chemist for a large corporation. He continued to study chemistry at the Astor Library.
Marriage and family In 1886 Just moved to Syracuse, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He married Annie Laurie (Baughman) Just; however, the year and place of the marriage is unknown. He had a son, Morton C. Just, with a Canadian woman whose identity is unknown. Just and Annie had three children: John H., Mary H. and Alvah L. In June 1902, Dr. Just purchased two building lots in Selkirk Beach (on the shore of Lake Ontario – not to be confused with the Selkirk near Albany) from Edmund Brown to build a summer cottage. No construction was done, and the lots were sold a short time later to Edwin M. Gallup of Syracuse. Just purchased the Tollner mansion in Pulaski, New York in April 1903. In August 1905, Just purchased the Bartels residence in Syracuse, taking possession after returning from a trip to Europe in November of that year and transferring ownership of the Tollner mansion to Mr. Bartels. At this time, his new house in Syracuse was valued at $40,000 and was viewed as one of the finest pieces of property on West Genesee Street.
Syracuse businesses
Just's Food Company Under US Patent 764,294, Just began to employ his new method of evaporating milk into a dried powder. The technique (later known as the Just Milk Process) involves first treating a sample of milk with calcium chloride to reduce its acidity and then with alkaline hypochlorite to preserve the fatty acids in the finished product. The treated milk is then rolled between two large, horizontal steam-heated rollers. This action dries the milk; it is then scraped off and collected.
Just was instrumental in founding Just's Food Company and the Just Milk Process, which was incorporated on November 15, 1902, with $10,000 in capital. The main product of the company was an infant food, which contained his famous evaporated milk and was praised for its lack of artificial ingredients. The formula was to be diluted in milk and was said to be "nearly like the natural food of an infant". Physicians in Syracuse regarded it highly for its nutritional value claiming "It is in the proper physiological form and the right proportion to grow strong bones, steady nerves and hard, firm flesh". Extensive testing was done on Just's dried milk to analyze its nutritional value and purity. When compared with other forms of dried milk, the Just Process produced a product that was superior in vitamin and mineral content and solubility, and aided in preventing certain childhood diseases. The company was later bought by the Merrell-Soule Company, which became one of the largest dried-milk companies in the United States. Just sold the rights to his evaporation process to James Robertson Hatmaker, which became known as the "Just-Hatmaker Process".
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