Posted: 02/05/08

101 Things You Never Knew about

George Washington Carver

Mention "George Washington Carver"…and we think of a great American whose brilliant scientific achievements changed our way of life. But what do we really know about his life, motivation and faith?

To observe Black History Month, you'll want to explore the Carver legacy with acclaimed historian William Federer, author of GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER-His Life & Faith In His Own Words

• What happened when a sickly Carver was kidnapped after the Civil War.

• Growing up with the German immigrant couple, Moses and Susan Carver, and how a childhood conversation with a white neighbor boy influenced his life.

• How his talents in music and art led to a career in botany and agriculture.

• Earning his living, struggling against great odds, entering college, receiving his Masters degree and earning a prestigious university position at Iowa State.

• The letter he received from Booker T. Washington, his years at Tuskegee and his friendship with Presidents, Secretaries of Agriculture, and world leaders.

• How he became the first American, other than a U.S. President, to have his birthplace become a national monument.

CREDENTIALS: Best-selling author and nationally-known speaker William Federer is the president of Amerisearch, Inc., dedicated to researching America's noble heritage. His American Minute radio feature airs nationwide and via daily e-mail. Federer's books include: AMERICA'S GOD AND COUNTRY ENCYCLOPEDIA OF QUOTATIONS, TREASURY OF PRESIDENTIAL QUOTATIONS, and GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER-HIS LIFE & FAITH IN HIS OWN WORDS.

AVAILABILITY: St. Louis, nationwide by arrangement and via telephone, available last-minute.

CONTACT: William Federer, 314-487-4395 (MO); 314-540-1172 cell, wjfederer@aol.com, www.AmericanMinute.com

Amerisearch, Inc.. P.O. Box 20163, St. Louis, MO 63123

Overview of book

George Washington Carver's life is a story of faith and inspiration. Born a slave shortly before the end of the Civil War, he never knew his parents, as his father was killed in a log hauling accident, and his mother, along with his sister, were kidnapped and never seen again. George was also kidnapped and left lying in a field, dying of whooping cough, ransomed in exchange for a horse.

Two other sisters died of childhood illnesses. George and his only brother Jim were raised by "Uncle Mose" Carver, a German immigrant, and his barren wife, Susan. Being a sickly child, George was kept close to the home, where Susan taught him household chores, such as cooking, sewing, laundry, and reading skills which were invaluable to him later.

Around age eleven, George left home to attend school in Neosho, Missouri, and from there, Kansas. After graduating from high school, he learned of his brother's death: "The sad news reached me here that James, my only brother, had died with smallpox. Being conscious as never before that I was left alone, I trusted God and pushed ahead." (p. 40)

Accepted to college, George was denied entrance because of his race. He supported himself by homesteading in western Kansas, typing and taking shorthand, cooking for wealthy families, being head cook at a hotel, painting, and running laundries: "I opened a laundry here for my support . . . I would never allow anyone to give me money, no difference how badly I needed it. I wanted literally to earn my living." (p. 41)

Encouraged by John and Helen Milholland, George studied art and music at Simpson College. His art teacher, Miss Etta Budd, noticed the detail in which he painted plants and suggested he study agriculture. One of his paintings received an honorable mention at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

George transferred to Iowa State College, where he earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees, was elected to a prestigious faculty position, given charge of the greenhouse, bacteriological laboratory, and laboratory work in systematic botany. Two of Carver's professors served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, as did one of his students, who also became a U.S. Vice President.

In the Spring of 1896, George received a letter from Booker T. Washington, inviting him to join the staff of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. George replied: "I am looking forward to a very busy, pleasant, and profitable time at your college and shall be glad to cooperate with you in doing all I can through Christ who strengtheneth me to better the condition of our people." (p.25)

George found the southern farmers in a desperate situation. Cotton had difficulty growing because the soil was depleted from years of over growth, and what did grow was destroyed by the boll weevil insect. George encouraged farmers to plant legumes, such as peanuts, to replenish the soil, but harvests produced more peanuts than the market wanted.

Determined to help the farmers, George discovered hundreds of uses for the peanut, soybean, and other plants: from cosmetics, peanut brittle and meat substitutes, to nontoxic colors and glue. "The Great Creator taught me to take the peanut apart and put it together again. And out of the process have come forth all these products." (p. 36)

So beneficial were George's agricultural contributions, that he was visited by Vice President Calvin Coolidge, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and offered jobs by Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, which he declined. He addressed the U.S. Congress, was made a member of the Royal Society of London and received letters from around the world, including Josef Stalin and Mahatma Gandhi.

By the time of his death the peanut industry had grown to over 500 million dollars. His birthplace was made a National Monument, two U.S. Postage Stamps and a U.S. fifty-cent coin bore his image, and a Nuclear Submarine was named for him.

From an orphaned child to impacting the world, George Washington Carver has inspired millions to meet the needs of humanity: "As I worked on projects which fulfilled a real human need, forces were working through me which amazed me. I would often go to sleep with an apparently insoluble problem. When I awoke the answer was there. Why, then, should we who believe in Christ be so surprised at what God can do with a willing man in a laboratory." (p. 68)

"If you go to the first chapter of Genesis, we can interpret very clearly, I think, what God intended when he said 'Behold, I have given you every herb that bears seed. To you it shall be as meat.' " – George W. Carver before the U.S. Ways and Means Committee, on behalf of the United Peanut Growers Association, January 21, 1921 (p. 36)

"Thank God I love humanity; complexion doesn't interest me one single bit." – George W. Carver to Robert Johnson of Chesley Enterprises, Ontario, March 24, 1925 (p. 57)

"Oh how I wish the people would awake up from their lethargy and come out soul and body for Christ." – George W. Carver, from Iowa State, to Mr. & Mrs. Milholland, August 6, 1891 (p. 23)

"God closed the first door that I might see one open with greater opportunities. This is often so when we are sorely disappointed in some of our fondest dreams." – George W. Carver to James T. Hardwick, July 1, 1932 (p. 77)

"I want them to find Jesus, and make Him a daily, hourly, and momently part of themselves." – George W. Carver to Jack Boyd, YMCA, Denver, CO, March 1, 1927 (p. 61)

"I was just a mere boy when converted, hardly ten years old…I climbed up into the 'loft,' knelt down by the barrel of corn and prayed as best I could. I do not remember what I said. I only recall that I felt so good that I prayed several times before I quit." – George W. Carver to Miss Isabelle Coleman, Greensboro, NC, July 24, 1931 (pp. 75-76)

"Inspiration is never at a variance with information; in fact, the more information one has, the greater will be the inspiration." – George W. Carver to the Editor of the New York Times, November 24, 1924 (p. 54)

"Keep your hand in that of the Master; walk daily by His side, so that you may lead others into the realms of true happiness, where a religion of hate, (which poisons both body and soul) will be unknown, having in its place the 'Golden Rule' way, which is the 'Jesus Way' of life." – George W. Carver to Jack Boyd, YMCA, Denver, CO, March 1, 1927 (p. 61)

By William J. Federer Email: wjfederer@aol.com Click here for bio and archived articles