Carver, George Washington, 1864?-1943

Agricultural scientist, teacher, humanitarian, artist, and Iowa State alumnus (1894, 1896). George Washington Carver was born ca. 1864, the son of slaves on the Moses Carver plantation near Diamond Grove, Missouri. He lost his father in infancy, and at the age of 6 months was stolen along with his mother by raiders, but was later found and traded back to his owner for a $300 race horse. He enrolled in Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa in 1890 studying music and art. Etta Budd, his art instructor whose father was head of the Dept. of Horticulture at Iowa State College, convinced him to give up a career in art and go into scientific agriculture. He came to Ames in 1891 where he was active in the YMCA, Welch Eclectic Society, and college military regiment. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Agriculture in 1894 and 1896 respectively. Carver was not only the first black to enroll as a student at Iowa State, but was also the first black to join the faculty. In 1895 he was the assistant botanist in the Experiment Station and worked there until the following year, when Booker T. Washington asked him to join the staff at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. At Tuskegee Carver organized the Agricultural Department, planned the first agricultural building, taught classes in chemistry and botany and conducted research. He served as Director of Agriculture, the first Director of the Agricultural Research and Experiment Station and Head of the Dept. of Research. His work led to the creation of many products made from native materials. These include over 300 products from peanuts and over 100 products from sweet potatoes. He also developed many products from Alabama clay, cotton, soybeans, pecans, wood shavings and waste materials. During his lifetime Carver received a multitude of honors, including honorary degrees from Simpson College, University of Rochester, and Selma University. A feature film of his life was made in Hollywood in 1938. In 1940, he bequeathed his estate to Tuskegee Institute and established the George Washington Carver Foundation to continue his work. Carver has been called the father of chemurgy.