Julian is a part of a small group of African American Inventors and Scientists; he received more than 130 chemical patents. He was one of the first African Americans to receive a doctorate in chemistry. He was the first African American chemist inducted into the National Academy of Sciences, and the second African American scientist inducted (after David Blackwell) from any field.
1899
1975
Montgomery, Alabama, USA
African American
In 1929 Julian travelled to the University of Vienna in Austria to begin doctoral studies on the chemistry of medicinal plants. Two years later he took up a position at Howard University in the United States, with a Viennese colleague, Josef Pikl. In 1933 they moved to Howard, and two years later moved on to DePauw University in Indiana, where they accomplished the first total synthesis of physostigmine, the active principle of the Calabar bean, used since the end of the 19th century to treat glaucoma.
Percy Lavon Julian was born in Montgomery, Alabama, the grandson of former slaves. He attended school up to the age of 13 years 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 level of his peers. In spite of this challenging beginning, he graduated first in his class, with Phi Beta Kappa honours.
Julian remained at Glidden until 1954, when he founded his own company, Julian Laboratories of Franklin Park, Illinois, and Mexico City. He eventually sold this company to Smith, Kline and French. Throughout his life he was socially active in groups seeking to advance conditions for African Americans, helping to found the Legal Defence and Educational Fund of Chicago and serving on the boards of several other organisations and universities.
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.’
Parents – James Sumner Julian and Elizabeth Lena Julian; Spouse – Anna Roselle Johnson; Children – Percy Lavon Julian (Jr) and Faith Roselle Julian
https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/percy-lavon-julian
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Lavon_Julian
https://www.biography.com/scientist/percy-julian
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/percy_julian_628221
