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The award is named to honor chemist Percy Lavon Julian. In becoming director of research of a division in the Glidden Company of Chicago, Julian was the first African-American to lead a research group in a major corporation. He later founded Julian Laboratories, Julian Associates, Inc. and the Julian Research Institute.
- Who Was Percy Julian?
- Early Life
- Life in Academia
- Later Career and Death
- Recognition
- Personal Life
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Percy Julian was a pioneering chemist who was not allowed to attend high school but went on to earn his Ph.D. His research at academic and corporate institutions led to the chemical synthesis of drugs to treat glaucoma and arthritis, and although his race presented challenges at every turn, he is regarded as one of the most influential chemists in ...
Percy Lavon Julian was born April 11, 1899, in Montgomery, Alabama, the grandson of former slaves. He attended school through the eighth grade but there were no high schools open to Black students. He applied to DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he had to take high school-level classes in the evening to get him up to the academic lev...
After college, Julian accepted a position as a chemistry instructor at Fisk University. He left in 1923 when he received a scholarship to attend Harvard University to finish his master’s degree, though the university would not allow him to pursue his doctorate. He traveled for several years, teaching at Black colleges, before obtaining his Ph.D. at...
Desiring to leave academia, Julian applied for jobs at prominent chemical companies but was repeatedly rejected when hiring managers discovered that he was Black. Ultimately, he obtained a position at Glidden Company as the lab director. There he invented Aero-Foam, a product that uses soy protein to put out oil and gas fires and was widely used in...
In 1973, Julian became the first Black chemist elected to the National Academy of the Sciences. In 1990, he was elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and in 1999 his synthesis of physostigmine was recognized by the American Chemical Society as “one of the top 25 achievements in the history of American chemistry.”
Julian met his wife, Anna Roselle, while employed at Howard University, and the two were accused of having an affair while she was married to one of his colleagues. A scandal ensued and Julian was fired, but he and Anna married in 1935 and had two children. In 1950, Julian and his family moved to Oak Park, Illinois. After they purchased their home ...
Percy Julian was a Black chemist who synthesized cortisone, steroids and birth control pills. He was the first Black chemist elected to the National Academy of the Sciences and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He faced racism and challenges in his academic and professional life, but also achieved great success and recognition.
Percy Lavon Julian (April 11, 1899 – April 19, 1975) was an American research chemist and a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants. He was the first to synthesize the natural product physostigmine and was a pioneer in the industrial large-scale chemical synthesis of the human hormones progesterone and testosterone from plant sterols such as stigmasterol and sitosterol.
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- Chemist
- April 11, 1899, Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Apr 23, 1999 · Percy L. Julian was a chemist who synthesized the anti-glaucoma drug physostigmine in 1935 at DePauw University. He was the first to use a series of chemical steps to produce this natural product from its natural source, the Calabar bean. His research was a breakthrough in the chemical synthesis of commercially important natural products and led to the availability of physostigmine for medical use.
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Learn about the life and achievements of Percy Lavon Julian, a chemist and civil rights activist who received a D.S. degree from I.U. in 1969 and was a pioneer in the synthesis of sterols and sex hormones. He also received thirteen honorary degrees, membership in Sigma Xi, the Spingarn Medal, and the Chicagoan of the Year Award.
Apr 15, 2024 · Percy Julian (born April 11, 1899, Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.—died April 19, 1975, Waukegan, Illinois) was an American chemist, known for his synthesis of cortisone, hormones, and other products from soybeans. Percy Julian, Mae Jemison, Patricia Bath, Betty Harris, and George Washington Carver are five Black chemists who changed the world.
Dr. Percy Lavon Julian was a trailblazing chemist whose discoveries improved and saved countless lives. ... and more than a dozen civic and scientific awards; he was the second African
