George Washington Carver

He did not marry throughout his life. However, in his forties, he became romantically involved with Miss Sarah L. Hunt, an elementary school teacher. She was the sister-in-law of Warren Logan, Tuskegee Institute Treasurer.

At seventy years of age, he shared a close relationship with Austin W. Curtis, Jr, his research partner and fellow scientist.

He died at the age of 78, after suffering from complications which had been caused due to an accidental bad fall down the stairs at his home.

George Washington Carver was born in Diamond, Missouri, U.S. to an enslaved couple, Mary and Giles, who were owned by Moses Carver, a German-American immigrant.

Within a week of his birth, he was kidnapped along with his mother and other slaves by night raiders from Arkansas. While his mother and the rest kidnapped were sold in Kentucky, he was saved through an agent of Moses Carver.

Moses Carver and his wife Susan raised him and his brother James as their own. They advised him to pursue his interests and Susan taught him to read and write.

At that time, local schools did not take in African-American children and hence he had to undertake 10 miles of journey every day to attain education. After receiving education at a number of schools, he received a diploma from the Minneapolis High School.

He got admission at the Highland College in Highland, Kansas, but when he arrived, he was rejected due to his race. He later went to Beeler, Kansas City, where he set up a conservatory; maintained plants, flowers and a geological collection.

In 1888, after he was granted a loan of $300 from the Bank of Ness City, he decided to study art and piano at the Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, joining the next year.

Encouraged by his art teacher to pursue education in the field of botany, in 1891, he began to attend the Iowa State Agricultural College in Ames. He became the first African-American student of the institute.

Encouraged by his professors at Iowa State, he continued research at the Iowa experiment station for two years. His work in pathology and mycology, earned him national recognition as a botanist.

In 1896, the president of the Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington invited him to become the head of their Agriculture Department. He accepted the offer and soon introduced alternative crops for farmers.

At Tuskegee Institute, he played a pivotal role in strengthening their research centre. He introduced the concept of crop rotation and conducted research on crop products.

In 1916, he was inducted into the Royal Society of Arts in England.

In 1923, he received the Spingarn Medal, conferred by NAACP annually for outstanding achievement.

In 1928, he received an honorary doctorate from Simpson College.

In 1939, he received the Roosevelt Medal for 'Outstanding Contribution to Southern Agriculture'.