Portrait of Arthur Dehon Little (1863-1935), a pioneer of chemical engineering practice and principles who helped establish chemical engineering as a separate profession with a distinct approach and training method.

A native of Boston, Little majored in chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before the advent of chemical engineering. In partnership with fellow chemist Roger B. Griffin (d. 1893), Little established the world's first consulting company in 1886. The company's mission was to provide expertise in analytical chemistry and technical product-improvement services to private industry. In 1900, Little formed a partnership with William H. Walker (1869-1934) and together the two worked to reform MIT's chemical engineering curriculum. Due in part to Little and Walker's efforts, MIT's School of Chemical Engineering Practice was founded in 1917.