Black History Is: Percy Lavon Julian

Percy Lavon Julian was the first Black chemist to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

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Percy Lavon Julian was the first Black chemist to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1973. The grandson of enslaved people, Julian was born in 1899 in Montgomery, Alabama. He attended school through eighth grade — no high schools were open to Black students in Montgomery at the time. Despite this hurdle, Julian attended DePauw University where he was able to take high school courses in the evening alongside college courses to catch up academically to his peers. In 1920, he graduated valedictorian of his class with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He later became a chemistry professor at Fisk University, obtained his master’s degree from Harvard University, and received his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Vienna in 1931.

After obtaining his doctorate, he became head of the chemistry department at Howard University before returning to DePauw to begin his groundbreaking research. In 1935, Julian synthesized physostigmine, a chemical from the Calabar bean used to treat glaucoma. Today, derived forms of physostigmine are used in Alzheimer’s therapies and treatments for other neurological disorders. His continued research uncovered new ways to synthesize steroids like progesterone — used in oral contraceptives — and precursors to cortisone — used to treat pain, swelling, and inflammation. He went on to establish and sell a successful laboratory enterprise and form a nonprofit research organization. Julian led a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense and Educational Fund campaign, combatting discrimination in jobs and housing. And he later continued his private research studies, serving as a consultant to major pharmaceutical companies. Following his death in 1975, the Science and Mathematics Center at DePauw was named the Percy L. Julian Science and Mathematics Center in his honor.

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Cyrenna Cooper

Cyrenna Cooper is the Web Communications Specialist for BrainFacts. She graduated from George Mason University in 2017 with a degree in Communications.