Managing the affairs of the Union, a brief history of the IUPAC Secretariat

Abstract Ensuring the efficient functioning of the Union has been the challenge of the Secretaries General for more than a century. The journey of administering the Union began at 49 Rue des Mathurins, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris where the headquarters of the Société de Chimie Industrielle and the French NAO were located. The first Secretary General of the Union, Jean Gérard, also served as Secretary General of these host organizations, and as such the arrangement provided the newly formed Union with stable administrative support and a physical address.