Thomas Wyatt Turner

Thomas Wyatt Turner (March 16, 1877 – April 21, 1978) was an American civil rights activist, biologist, and educator. He was the first Black American to receive a Ph.D. in botany, and helped found both the NAACP and the Federated Colored Catholics.

Biography

Early life and education Turner was born in Hughesville, Maryland. His parents, Eli and Linnie (née Gross), were sharecroppers and he was the fifth of their nine children. He was the founding head when the Department of Botany was established in 1922. He also served from 1914 to 1920 as Acting Dean at the Howard's School of Education. As well as biology he felt that the mentorship provided by teachers and faculty had a vital impact on student's careers.

On December 29, 1924, The FCC, founded to be a haven for Black Catholics and their goals/rights, would later disband due to two White co-leaders (and Jesuits) who sought a more interracial bent for the organization—against Turner's will.

In 1931, Turner organized the Virginia Conference of College Science Teachers in 1931, and served as president of that group for two terms. Turner also was an active member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Society for Horticultural Science.

Later life and death He retired in 1945 due to glaucoma.

In 1976, aged 99, Turner was awarded an honorary doctorate by The Catholic University of America.

He died in 1978, 36 days after turning 101.

Personal life His first wife was Laura Miller. In 1936, he married Louise Wright.

Turner was active in Catholic organizations and in societies for the advancement of African-Americans. He remained a loyal member of the Church despite suffering discrimination; he wrote of being asked to move to the back of the church when attending Mass in St. Louis in 1926.

Legacy His papers and unpublished autobiography were among the Turner Papers at the Moorland–Spingarn Research Center as of 1988. His memoir was published independently in 2018.

In 1976, the National Office for Black Catholics (NOBC) began awarding the annual Dr. Thomas Wyatt Turner Award for work towards equal rights.

In 1978, the Hampton Institute named its new natural sciences building Turner Hall.

The Cornell Graduate School created the Turner Kittrell Medal of Honor for alumni who have made significant national or international contributions to the advancement of diversity, inclusion and equity in academia, industry or the public sector. The first award was in 2017.

Publications Turner, Thomas Wyatt (1922) Studies of the mechanism of the physiological effects of certain mineral salts in altering the ratio of top growth to root growth in seed plants. American Journal of Botany 9 (8) 415–445 Turner, Thomas Wyatt (2018), edited Marilyn Nickels. From Sharecropper to Scientist: The Memoir of Thomas Wyatt Turner, Ph. D. (1877–1978). Independent posthumous publication. . 255 pages