John S. Niederhauser was born on September 27, 1916 in Seattle, Washington. He earned his B.S. in 1939 and his Ph.D. in 1943 from Cornell University. He also attended Deep Springs College in California (1933-1935) and Timuryazev All-Union Agricultural Academy in Moscow, Russia (1935-1936). Dr. Niederhauser worked with the Rockefeller Foundation Mexican Agricultural Program (1947-1972) in which he began a potato production program for Mexico and Latin America, in addition to his work on corn, wheat and bean production. His work with potatoes led to an increased production of potatoes in areas where it was not grown before, particularly in Third World countries. He is the recipient of the World Food Prize (1990), founded by Norman Borlaug and awarded to an individual who has made the greatest strides toward ending world hunger. Dr. Niederhauser has also received the World Potato Congress Award (1993) and the Medal of Merit, presented by the Ministry of Agricultural Development of Panama (1996).
From the guide to the John S. Niederhauser papers, 1955-2001, (University of Minnesota Libraries. University Archives [uarc])
