Samuel M. Nabrit

Samuel Milton Nabrit (February 21, 1905 – December 30, 2003) was an American marine biologist. He was the first African American to be awarded a doctoral degree from Brown University, He was also the first African American to serve on the Brown University Board of Trustees.

Early life and education Born on February 21, 1905, in Macon, Georgia, Samuel Milton Nabrit was the son of James M. Nabrit Sr., a Baptist minister and teacher, and Augusta G. West. He later became chairman of the biology department at Atlanta University in 1932, and from 1957 to 1955 was dean of the graduate school of arts and sciences at Atlanta University.

In 1950, Nabrit was a research fellow at the University of Brussels in Belgium. The scientific papers Nabrit published, during this period, remained influential in the field for decades.

In 1967, Nabrit was elected to the Board of Trustees at Brown University. In 1999, the university honored Nabrit with the hanging of a portrait alongside Brown's most distinguished faculty.

Selected works "The Role of the Fin Rays in Tailfins of Fishes Fundulus and Goldfish", Biological Bulletin, April 1929. "Human Ecology in Georgia", Science Education, October 1944. "The Negro in Science", Negro History Bulletin, January 1957.