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Carver innovated throughout his life. His research helped redevelop the economy of the South.
He created hundreds of useful products from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other plants, and he shared his knowledge and skills when and where they were needed. Industrialists and institutions sought his advice and honored him for his efforts.
In early 1921, Carver appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee. (This committee is the main tax-writing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.) The topic was whether the U.S. should tax imported peanuts. A tax would help protect American peanut farmers from foreign competition. At first, Carver was given only 10 minutes to talk. Officials mocked him, but he paid no attention. After the first 10 minutes, he was given another 10 minutes, and then another and another. In the end, members of the committee were so impressed they said Carver could have as much time as he needed. ▶
Carver with Henry Ford (left) and Ford’s son, Edsel.
▲ Carver and Henry Ford met at a conference of people involved in applied science. (Ford was the owner of Ford Motor Company.) Carver helped Ford figure out how to use soybean oil to make different colors of paint for his cars. He also figured out how to use goldenrod, a wildflower, as a substitute for rubber. At the time, rubber was in short supply because of World War II. In return, Ford donated to the Tuskegee Institute to help fund Carver’s work. He also came to hire thousands of Blacks to work in his factories – at wages equal to those of Whites. Originally, Ford’s ideas reflected the racial prejudice of the time, but Carver, in his own way, helped Ford to change.
In 1940, Carver donated all of his savings to Tuskegee to help establish the Carver Research Foundation. The foundation was established to continue the work that Carver had started at Tuskegee. The George Washington Carver Foundation was also created at that time. Its aim was to provide an opportunity for Black students to do advanced study in botany, chemistry, and agronomy (the science of soil management and crop production). The foundation continues to offer financial aid and scholarships. When Carver died, in 1943, he left his entire estate to the George Washington Carver Foundation. ▶
As a college student, Carver’s love was art. He never stopped painting though he did not share his work publicly. That is until 1941, when his artwork was put on display at Tuskegee. People were surprised at how talented he was. “How could you do so many things well?” they asked. In answering the question, Carver referred to the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. ▶
The poet Tennyson was seeking truth. That is what the scientist is seeking. That is what the artist is seeking: his writings, his weavings, his music, his pictures are just the expression of his soul in his search for truth.
In 1945, President Harry S. Truman signed the bill to name January 5 George Washington Carver Recognition Day. Why January 5? You would think the date chosen would be Carver’s birthday, but that exact date was not known. So Congress and the president chose the date of his death – January 5. Each year on this day, people gather to celebrate Carver. One such celebration takes place in Diamond, Missouri, close to where he was born. ▶
▲ Twice Carver was honored with his image on a stamp. First, in 1948, as part of the U.S. Postal Service’s Famous American Scientists series of stamps. Again, in 1998, as part of the Celebrate the Century stamp series. In 1952, a half-dollar coin with Carver’s and Booker T. Washington’s likenesses was designed by Isaac Scott Hathaway. Hathaway was the first Black American to design a coin.
▲ The George Washington Carver National Monument is on the farmland of Moses and Susan Carver. It was dedicated in 1953. This was the first time a national monument was created to honor someone who was not a U.S. president. It was also the first time the National Park Service honored the work of a Black American.
REFLECTION
George Washington Carver encountered racism through much of his life, but he never became bitter. He believed Blacks should achieve an economic foothold before trying to tear down social and political barriers. Some have criticized him for these views. What do you think?
