Laucks Laboratories was founded in 1908 by Irving F. Laucks, not long after Yukon Gold began arriving in Seattle. It not only provided an assaying and metallurgical service for the gold field operations, but also tested materials used in building the Alaska Railroad.
During World War I, when Oriental produce bound for Europe was diverted from the Suez Canal to West Coast ports, Laucks tested and certified finished and raw products from the Orient, the Indies and Pacific Islands. From one of these products, soya bean meal, Laucks later developed a glue for fir plywood. As a result, a glue business was established that grew to world wide proportions, and Mr. Laucks was named one of the three “fathers of plywood” by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
During World War II, Laucks’ contribution to the war effort included inspection of ships’ fuel tanks prior to shipyard repair, chlorination and certification of drinking water tanks, and testing of both food and supplies for the armed forces.
In the late 1940’s, Laucks’ basic research on methods of detecting drugs in race horse urine resulted in the development of procedures for extraction and identification of drugs that are now used worldwide.
In 1951, under new ownership, Laucks’ name was changed to Laucks Testing Laboratories, Inc., and Francis P. Owens became president.
