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George Washington Carver was born on a
farm in Newton County, Missouri in the spring of 1865. The exact date
is not available and Carver, himself was not sure of the date. He was
born on the plantation of Moses Carver and his mother was a slave
named Mary. Near the end of the Civil War, Mary and George were stolen
and taken to Arkansas by Confederate raiders. George was later
returned to Moses but his mother was never found. He was raised by
Moses and Susan Carver.
George developed his interest in plants
while very young. He would spend hours exploring the woods and fields
around the farm. He collected, studied, and raised many of the plants
he found nearby. He became known by his neighbors as the "Plant
Doctor" for his work in restoring diseased and sickly
plants.
Carver received his early schooling at
home as there were no schools for African Americans in Newton County,
Missouri. In 1890 he enrolled at Simpson College to study music and
art. He switched his major to Agriculture and enrolled at Iowa State
University in 1891 graduating in 1894.
Carver was hired as the head of Iowa
State's Bacterial Laboratory in the Systematic
Botany Department. He earned his Master's Degree in 1896 and
accepted a position at Tuskegee
Institute. He developed over 118 products and over 500
dyes from agricultural products such as peanuts, sweet potatoes, and
soybeans, however he is best known for his work with peanuts. Carver
also developed crop rotation and a new type of cotton hybrid. He
established the George Washington Carver Foundation at Tuskegee in
1940. Carver remained at the Tuskegee Institute until his death in
1943. On July 14, 1943 he was honored by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt with a National Monument in recognition of his
accomplishments in the field of Biochemical Engineering.
Some of his many awards and honors
include:
1923 - NAACP Spingarn Medal
1941 - Roosevelt Medal
1948 - Great Americans Stamp Issue
1977 - Great Americans Hall of Fame
1990 - National Inventors Hall of Fame
1998 - Celebrate the Century Stamp Issue
Carver produced a variety of products
from the peanut. These include:
Tofu Sauce, Shampoo, Peanut Brittle, Peanut Butter, Antiseptic
Soap, Salad Oil, Worcester Sauce, Laxatives, Shaving Cream, Shoe
Polish, Paints, Plastics, Printer's Ink, Vanishing Cream, and
many others.
George Washington Carver died at
Tuskegee on January 5, 1943.
Sources:
Encyclopedia
Britannica
Encyclopedia
Africana
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