St Elmo Brady

St Elmo Brady was born December 22, 1884 in Louisville, Kentucky. He was the first African American to obtain a PhD in chemistry in the United States. He received his PhD at the University of Illinois for work done in Noyes Laboratory. He was greatly influenced by Thomas W. Talley, a forerunner in the teaching of science.

St. Elmo Brady in Laboratory at Fisk University

He received his Bachelor’s degree from Fisk University in 1908 and began teaching at the Tuskegee Institute. He was offered a scholarship to the University of Illinois to further his education under the tutelage of Professor George Beal. Over the course of his graduate studies he published three scholarly articles. He finished his MS in chemistry in 1914 and his PhD in 1916 from Illinois.

Brady went on to teach at several universities, Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University), Howard University, and Fisk University. At Fisk University he developed the first chemistry graduate program in a historically black college.