George Washington Carver (c. 1864-1943) was born near Carthage, Missouri of slave parents. He became one of the great educators and scientists of the early 20th century. He worked his way through Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, graduating in 1894. He accepted a position with the Department of Agricultural Research at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and began a 50-year career that led to many developments in the uses of such crops as peanuts and sweet potatoes. A Sunday school teacher and member of the Presbyterian Church, he believed that all of his discoveries came directly from God. His stature as an African-American scientist in pre-Civil Rights America was nearly unprecedented.
