Biography:

Botanist; inventor; college professor. Born–1864, Diamond Grove, Mo. Parents– Giles and Mary Carver; raised by Moses and Susan Carver. In infancy, he lost his father; was stolen and carried into Arkansas with his mother. Bought from his captors for a race horse valued at $300 and returned to his former home in Missouri. Education– Iowa State University of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts, B.S. degree in agriculture, 1894, M.S., 1896; Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, D.Sc., 1928. Taught at Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts, 1894-96 (first African-American faculty member); professor and head of Department of Agriculture, Tuskegee Institute, 1896-1943. Built the department into a center for research and outreach/education for local farmers. Scientist known for his research into ways of growing and using peanuts and sweet potatoes. Wrote and published forty-four practical bulletins and pamphlets directed at farmers, with over a hundred recipes for using peanuts. In 1940 used his savings to establish the George Washington Carver Foundation to support scientific research at Tuskegee.   Widely honored for his work, including the Spingarn Medal, 1923 and the Roosevelt Medal, 1939. Named to the Royal Society of Arts, London, 1917;  Hall of Fame for Great Americans, 1977, and the USDA Hall of Heroes, 2000.  A WWII liberty ship and a nuclear submarine were named in his honor.  Many schools, parks, and community centers bear his name.  The George Washington Carver National Monument was established in Diamond, Missouri, and the Carver National Historic Site and Museum at Tuskegee.  Died January 5, 1943.

Source:

Marquis Who’s Who online; Dictionary of American Biography online.

Publication(s):

Help for the Hard Times. Tuskegee, Ala.; Tuskegee Institute, 1910.

How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing It for Human Consumption. Tuskegee, Ala.; Tuskegee Institute, 1942.

How to Grow the Tomato and 115 Ways to Prepare it for the Table. Tuskegee, Ala.; Tuskegee Institute, 1936.

Nature’s Garden for Victory and Peace.  Tuskegee Institute, 1942.

Papers;

The papers of George Washington Carver are held by the archives at Tuskegee University.