Much of the history of the FBI's Lab, the influence of outside sources, and the first Lab examiners can be found at the FBI's website at: http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/history/birthtechlab.htm
Two of the first Special Agents in the Lab in the 1932 time period were SA Charles Appel and SA Sam Pickering. Appel was the first and many refer to him as "The" FBI Lab at the time. Charles Appel's son later became an FBI Agent and as of 2007, is now retired.
Charles A. Appel was born in Washington, D. C. in 1895. During World War I he trained in aviation and and was a second lieutenant bombardier in 1919.
Appel entered the Bureau of Investigation in 1924 having been a graduate of George Washington University Law School there.
Being a document specialist, one of Appel's first cases in the newly formed Lab was the ramson note utilized in the Lindbergh kidnapping and in which he testified to his findings at the ongoing grand jury.
SA Appel retired in 1948. No doubt an icon in FBI History!
One person you don't hear of a lot is the influence and assistance of one Dr. Wilmer Souder. In 1932, he was engaged as a scientist at the Bureau of Standards and, as noted, provided a lot of his knowledge to the FBI in several crime fighting areas. His name is clearly mentioned in a 1932 briefing paper about the FBI Lab and you can research him further on the Web and in libraries.
Photo of SA Appel courtesy of the FBI
See the 1932 briefing memo regarding the Lab and Souder here.