Black History Month Spotlight: Percy L. Julian (1899-1975)

Wanted to share a piece I wrote back in 2007 on Percy L. Julian, a great American Chemist.
Hope you enjoy and learn something from it.

            African American have achieved and pioneered in many fields, including business, law, medical sciences and sports just to name a few. Percy Lavon Julian is just one example of African American achievement in the field of sciences which include chemistry, engineering, physics, astronomy and other physical sciences.  Percy Julian is known as American research and industrial chemist and a pioneer in the field of chemically synthesizing plant for medicinal drugs. During his life time, as with many other African Americans, he faced many personal and professional challenges. However, he became one of the most notable scientists, regardless of race, in the 20^th century. His career spanned for four decades, making many valuable discoveries, received patents, 18 honorary degrees, and membership into the National Academy of Sciences, becoming the second black to do so.

            Percy Lavon Julian was born on April 11^th, 1899 in Montgomery, Alabama. He was the oldest of six children born to James Sumner Julian, a railway mail clerk, and Elizabeth Adams Julian, a schoolteacher.  His parents instilled education in all their children even though it was unheard of most African Americans attending school after 8^th grade. After graduating from a small normal school for Blacks in his hometown, he entered DePauw University as a “subfreshman” in 1916.  The college accepted very few blacks at this time and the town was segregated. Therefore, he was not allowed to live in the dormitories and ended up living in an off campus boarding facility where he was refused meals to eat. Eventually, he took different odd end jobs and in return of his services, was allowed to sleep in the basement and eat. Even with all these adversities against him, he graduated in 4 years, in 1920, from DePauw Phi Beta Kappa and valedictorian.  He wanted to pursue his doctorate in chemistry but knew that would be difficult, and was denied access to those programs. He taught at Fisk University then in 1923 went to Harvard University for his M.S. However, they eventually withdrew his teaching assistantship and he was unable to complete is PhD there. He did received his PhD in 1931 from the University of Vienna

After returning to America, he taught at Howard University for one year, but due to allegations and scandals, he eventually resigned. It was at this time that he meets his wife Anna Roselle Johnson, married on December 24^th, 1935 and had two children, Percy Jr. & Faith.  In 1932, he was invited to teach at his alma mater, DePauw. For the next four years, he carried on research in Minshall Laboratory that led to the successful synthesis of physostigmine, a drug which is used in the treatment of glaucoma. However, DePauw was unwilling to grant him a regular facility position. So in 1936, Julian became director of research for the Soya Products Division for the Glidden Company in Chicago, Illinois. For the next 17 years with Glidden, he would develop other products such as fire-fighting foam and perfecting methods for mass products of hormones including progesterone for miscarriages, testosterone and cortisone to treat rheumatoid arthritis, many from plants. In 1953, he formed his own company, Julian Laboratories Inc, headquartered in Franklin Park, Illinois with branches in Mexico and Guatemala. One of his major accomplishments was the commercial production of the arthritis drug, cortisone. He brought many African American & women chemists from Glidden with him. In 1961, he sold the company for $2.3 million dollars. The United States and Mexico branch was brought by Smith Kline and the chemical plant in Guatemala by Upjohn. The next year, he founded Julian Associates and Julian Research Institutes, which he managed and continued his research work until his death. In 1973, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences for his scientific achievements, on the second black to do so.

           

            Percy Julian died of liver cancer on April 19^th, 1975 at St. Theresa’s Hospital in Waukegan, Illinois and buried in Elm Lawn Cemetery in Elmhurst, Illinois. He will forever be remembered as one of the greatest chemist of the 20^th century. One of his greatest contributions was improving the status of Blacks, especially African American males in America, which serves as an inspiration to all African Americans as well as all races. He cleared racial hurdles and help to break the color barrier in chemistry. As well as a successful chemist, he was a successful businessman, becoming a millionaire. More then anything, he serves as a mentor and example for all those African Americans aspiring to work in the science field, namely chemistry as well as to young African Americans in general.

References: 

Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/percy_julian

Black Inventor Online- http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/percyjulian.html

National Academies of Science - http://www.nationalacademies.org/history/members/julian.html

http://books.nap.edu/html/biomems/pjulian.html

PBS Online- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/julian/time-nf.html

And

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/julian/civil.html

DePauw University- A Pictorial History http://www.depauw.edu/library/archives/ehistory/chapter4/Julian.html

Book: Black Saga: The African American Experience,

By Dr. Charles M. Christian: (Pages: 352, 387, 530)