Black History “ Saint Elmo Brady”

 Saint Elmo Brady was the first African American to obtain a Ph.D. degree in chemistry in the United States

Brady received his bachelor''s degree from Fisk University in 1908 at the age of 24, and immediately began teaching at Tuskegee Institute. Brady had a close relationship with and was mentored by Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. In 1912, after his time at Tuskegee University, he was offered a scholarship to the University of Illinois to engage in graduate studies. Saint Elmo Brady was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Brady was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry in the United States, which he received from the University of Illinois in 1916.

During his time at Illinois, Brady became the first African American admitted to the university''s chemical honor society, Phi Lambda Upsilon, (1914), and he was one of the first African Americans to be inducted into Sigma Xi, the science honorary society (1915).

After completing his graduate studies, Brady taught at Tuskegee University from 1916 to 1920. Brady accepted a teaching position at Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 1920 and eventually became the Chair of Howard University''s Chemistry Department.

In 1927 he moved to Fisk University to chair the school''s Chemistry department. He remained at Fisk for 25 years until his retirement in 1952. While serving as the chair for the Chemistry department at Fisk University, Brady founded the first ever graduate studies program at a Black College/University. After his retirement from Fisk, he taught at Tougaloo College

Brady''s legacy was his establishment of strong undergraduate curricula, graduate programs, and fundraising development for four HBCUS. In conjunction with faculty from the University of Illinois, he established a summer program in infrared spectroscopy, which was open to faculty from all colleges and universities.

Talley-Brady Hall on the Fisk campus is named for Brady and another Fisk alumnus,Thomas Talley

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