After graduating in 1939 from Emory University, Robertson earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton in 1942. He was a chemist with Standard Oil of New Jersey from 1943 to 1947, a group leader for the Celanese Corp. from 1947 to 1951, director of the petrochemicals department at the National Research Corp. from 1951 to 1955, vice president and director of research for Escambia Chemical Corp. from 1955 to 1958, and vice president of a Gulf Oil division from 1958 to 1966. He was vice president of Air Products and Chemicals Inc. from 1966 to 1969 and senior vice president and board director from 1969 to 1977.
Robertson was a director of Marion Labs from 1963 to 1989, and also had been active in private research institutes in the Midwest. His memberships included Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, the Princeton Club of New York, and the American Chemical Society. Emory awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1970.
Robertson is survived by Betty, his wife of 61 years; his children, Mary ’74, Paul ’78, and Henry; and granddaughters Julia Cavalier and Elinor Keith ’04.
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.