Percy Lavon Julian was born in Montgomery, Alabama on April 11, 1899. His parents, James Sumner Julian and Elizabeth Lena Julian, were both educated, which was uncommon for African Americans in the South. They strived for Percy to go to school, despite the segregation and racism going on at the time.
Because there wasn't a public high school for black students in Montgomery, Percy had to go to a teacher training school instead. He entered DePauw University in 1916 with a 10th grade education, and graduated as Valedictorian and with a bachelor's in chemistry.
In 1923, Percy Julian became the first African American to earn a master's degree at Harvard University. He wanted to further his education even more, so he enrolled in the University of Vienna in Austria. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry and was the fourth African American to achieve this status.
After returning to DePauw in 1932, Percy eventually became an expert in synthesis. He and a coworker synthesized physostigmine, a plant compound made from Calabar beans. Their success led to physostigmine being used to treat glaucoma. The American Chemical Society later identified their achievement as a National Historic Chemical Landmark in 1999.
Because of his skin color, Percy Julian was denied the opportunity to teach at DePauw University. Instead, he moved on to the world of business. He discovered new uses for the chemicals found in soybeans, and was very profitable. Julian was not only making money, but he was also helping people all over the world. He used proteins in soybeans to create the first Aer-o-Foam, which is the foam used in modern day fire extinguishers. This saved thousands of lives during World War II.
In addition to Aer-o-Foam, Percy Lavon Julian used soybean oil to create artificial hormones. The process was completely accidental: water leaked into a giant vat of soybean oil, where Julian recognized crystals of stigmasterol at the bottom of the tank. Eventually, he found a way to convert stigmasterol into progesterone, which is now used for hormone therapy and also to reduce the risk of uterine cancer.
Because of Julian's discoveries and now famous work, he was named Chicagoan of the year in 1950. Percy moved to a predominantly white suburb in Chicago called Oak Park with his wife and two children. It was there that they encountered violent acts of racism and hostility. In an attempt to intimidate the Julians, their lovely new house went up in flames after being firebombed. However, the Julians didn't succumb to their vicious threats and stayed in Oak Park.
In 1953, Percy founded Julian Laboratories where he created synthetic steroids, something pharmaceutical companies used for making drugs. His company was very successful, and he became a millionaire after selling it in 1961 for $2.3 million.
Many remember Julian as a brilliant chemist and entrepreneur, but he was also a well known civil rights leader in the 60s and 70s. He gave several speeches and helped raise funds for racial justice and equality. The biggest impact he had was on breaking the color barrier in industrial science. Julian labs's even helped to train and educate a variety of hopeful young African American scientists.
On April 19, 1975, Percy Julian died of liver cancer. He was 76 years old. 18 years later, in 1993, the U.S. postal service issued a stamp in his honor. Millions of people over the world still benefit from his extraordinary discoveries and innovations today.
"I remember, as a boy of 17 years of age, this was a fascinating thing for me: how we human beings breathe out carbon dioxide into the air, the leaves of plants pick this carbon dioxide up, and the plant gives off oxygen, which we can breathe in and keep our life going."
Sources Used
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/julian/lrk-whowasjulian-exp.html
- https://www.biography.com/people/percy-julian-9359018
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuF7ss-r-m4
- https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/percy_julian.html