George Alvin Wiley (February 26, 1931 – August 8, 1973) was an American

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

leader. He was a founder of the National Welfare Rights Organization.

Early life and education

Wiley was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, the son of a postal clerk and one of six children. Wiley's family eventually moved to

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, southwest of Boston, Massachu ...

. Wiley earned his undergraduate degree at the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Isla ...

in 1953. Working with Jerrold Meinwald, he received a doctorate in organic chemistry from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

in 1957. Wiley fulfilled a six-month ROTC obligation as a first lieutenant in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

Fort Lee, Virginia Fort Lee, in Prince George County, Virginia, United States, is a United States Army post and headquarters of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM)/ Sustainment Center of Excellence (SCoE), the U.S. Army Quartermaster Sc ...

; and subsequently accepted a post-doctoral fellowship at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

Career

Wiley taught for two years at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, whereupon he took a teaching position at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in 1960. In November 1961, he founded the Syracuse chapter of

Congress of Racial Equality The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is an African Americans, African-American civil rights organization in the United States that played a pivotal role for African Americans in the civil rights movement. Founded in 1942, its stated mission ...

. He was only the third Black faculty member at Syracuse. He later was a founder of the National Welfare Rights Organization. He was listed on the

Master list of Nixon's political opponents Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

. The ''George Wiley Award for Exceptional Performance in Organic Chemistry'' for students at Syracuse University is named in his honor.

Personal life

Wiley was married and had two children. His daughter is civil rights activist and lawyer,

Maya Wiley Maya D. Wiley (born January 2, 1964) is an American lawyer, professor, and civil rights activist. She has served as president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights since May 2022. Wiley served as counsel to New York City ...

. On August 8, 1973, Wiley fell overboard while on a boat with his children on the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

. On August 12, 1973, Wiley's body was found on the shore of

Chesapeake Beach, Maryland Chesapeake Beach is a town in Calvert County, Maryland, United States. Its major attractions include the Chesapeake Beach Railway Station, the Chesapeake Beach Rail Trail, a water park, marinas, piers, and charter boat fishing. The town's popu ...

after a three-day search.

References

External links

Wiley, George Alvin (1931-1973)
at blackpast.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiley, George 1931 births 1973 deaths American community activists Activists from New Jersey Activists from Rhode Island Cornell University alumni People from Bayonne, New Jersey People from Warwick, Rhode Island Syracuse University faculty University of California, Berkeley faculty University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of Rhode Island alumni Deaths by drowning in the United States Accidental deaths in Maryland

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

References

Further reading

External links