Carver, George Washington (1864?-1943), was a black American scientist who won international fame for his agricultural research. He was especially noted for his work with peanuts. Carver made more than 300 products from peanuts, including a milk substitute, face powder, printer's ink, and soap. Carver also worked to promote the interests of black people and to improve relations between blacks and whites.

Early years. Carver was born a slave on a farm near Diamond, Missouri. Shortly after Carver's birth, his father was killed in an accident and his mother was kidnapped by night raiders. He was reared by Moses and Susan Carver, his owners until slavery was abolished in 1865. As a young boy, George showed a keen interest in plants and a great desire to learn. The Carvers taught him to read and write. When he was about 11 years old, he moved to Neosho, Missouri, to attend a school for black children.

For the next 20 years, Carver worked at various jobs to support himself and pay for his education. In 1890, he entered Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. Carver showed promise as a painter but decided to pursue a career in agriculture instead. In 1891, he transferred to Iowa State Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in Ames. Carver received a bachelor's degree in agriculture in 1894 and a master's degree in 1896.

Tuskegee instructor and researcher. In 1896, Carver moved to Alabama to join the faculty of the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), an industrial and agricultural school for blacks. Carver became head of the Tuskegee agricultural department and director of a state agricultural station.

At Tuskegee, Carver began to direct his attention toward soil conservation and other ways to improve crop production. He wrote pamphlets and bulletins on applied agriculture and distributed them to farmers in Alabama and other states. Carver also sought to teach more productive agricultural practices to Southern farmers--particularly black farmers--through conferences, traveling exhibits, demonstrations, and lectures.

In 1910, Carver became head of Tuskegee's newly created Department of Research. After 1914, he began to focus his research on peanuts. He received national attention in 1921, when he lectured about the many uses of peanuts before a committee of Congress. He later gave lectures throughout much of the country in an effort to promote peanuts. He also spent much time during the 1920's working to improve race relations. He was especially active in his work for the Commission on Inter-Racial Cooperation and the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).

Carver never married. In 1940, he gave his life savings of $33,000 to the Tuskegee Institute. The money was used to establish the George Washington Carver Research Foundation for agricultural research there.

Awards and honors. Carver received many awards for his accomplishments. In 1916, he was named a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts of London. In 1923, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) awarded him the Spingarn Medal for distinguished service in agricultural chemistry. In 1939, Carver received the Theodore Roosevelt Medal for his valuable contributions to science. In 1951, the George Washington Carver National Monument was established on 210 acres (85 hectares) of the Missouri farm where Carver was born.

Contributor: John W. Kitchens, Ph.D., Army Aviation Branch Command Historian, U.S. Army.

Additional resources

Carver, George Washington. George Washington Carver in His Own Words. Ed. by Gary R. Kremer. 1987. Reprint. Univ. of Mo. Pr., 1991.

McMurry, Linda O. George Washington Carver. Oxford, 1981.

Rogers, Teresa. George Washington Carver. 21st Century, 1992.