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It's unknown when he was born. It's either 1861 or January 1864. He's the child of Mary and Giles, an enslaved couple owned by Moses Carver.
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George and his brother James were home schooled by their slave parents Moses and Susan Carver.
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George Carver became interested in arts and music at Simpson College in Iowa, developing his painting and drawing skills through sketches of botanical (plant) samples.
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Booker T. Washington hired Carver to run the agricultural department of African-American Tuskegee Institute. His job helped the school achieve national fame. This work helped struggling farmers in the South, who were former slaves, deal with the boll weevil (a bug), that eats crops, in 1892.
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Carver was made a member of the British Royal Society of Arts-which is pretty rare for an American. He also gave advice to Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi on agriculture and nutrition.
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Carver made a speech before the Peanuts Growers Association, to clarify the huge potential of peanuts. The same year, he showed evidence before Congress in support of a tax on imported peanuts. Thanks to Carver’s evidence, Carver was able to pass the tax in 1922.
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Carver toured white Southern colleges for the Commission on Interracial Cooperation. His scholarship and research contributed to improve life for many farming families, and made Carver an iconic person for African-Americans and Anglo-Americans.
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He died when he fell down the stairs in his home. He was 78 years old.
