Eugene Cook Bingham (8 December 1878 – 6 November 1945) was a professor and head of the department of chemistry at Lafayette College. Bingham made many contributions to rheology, a term he is credited (from a suggestion by colleague, Markus Reiner) with introducing in 1920. He was a pioneer in both the theory and practice of rheology. The type of fluid known as a Bingham plastic or Bingham Fluid is named after him, as is Bingham Stress. He was also one of the people responsible for the construction of the Appalachian Trail.

The term rheology was inspired by the writings of Heraclitus), panta rhei, “everything flows”. While some sources mistakenly attribute the coining of the phrase πάντα ῥεῖ (panta rhei), meaning “everything flows/is in a state of flux”, to Simplicius, the phrase is first found in this form in the philosophy of Heraclitus. Later on, it also found in Simplicius’ commentary on Aristotle’s Physica 1313.11.

He was born on 8 December 1878 in Cornwall, Vermont.

He was awarded the Franklin Institute’s Certificate of Merit in 1921 for his variable pressure viscometer. In 1922, as chairman of the Metric Committee of the American Chemical Society, he campaigned for the United States to adopt the metric system.

He died on 6 November 1945.

The Society of Rheology has awarded the Bingham Medal annually since 1948.