Samuel Milton Nabrit (February 21, 1905 – December 30, 2003) was an American marine biologist. He was the first African American to be awarded a doctoral degree from
Brown University,
the first
Morehouse College graduate to earn a Ph.D. and the first African American appointed to the
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by U.S. Congress to foster and control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology. President ...
(now the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission).
[Kimetris N. Baltrip]
"Samuel Nabrit, 98, Scientist and a Pioneer in Education, Dies"
''The New York Times'', January 6, 2004. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
National Academy of Sciences. African American History Program. He was also the first African American to serve on the Brown University Board of Trustees.
["African Americans"]
Martha Mitchell's Encyclopedia Brunoniana (1993).
Early life and education
Born on February 21, 1905, in
Macon, Georgia, Samuel Milton Nabrit was the son of James M. Nabrit Sr., a Baptist minister and teacher, and Augusta G. West.
One of eight children, all of whom received a college education, Nabrit was elected valedictorian of his high school class in 1921.
His brother
James Nabrit Jr.
James Madison Nabrit Jr. (September 7, 1900 – December 27, 1997) was a prominent American civil rights attorney who won several important arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, served as president of Howard University for much of the 1960s, ...
, also a graduate of Morehouse College, became the second African-American president of
Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
and Deputy United States Ambassador to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
. He was married to the late Constance Croker.
Nabrit graduated from
Morehouse College in 1925, obtained his master's degree from Brown University in 1928 and received his doctorate in biology from
Brown University in 1932.
The next four African-American Ph.D. candidates at Brown University were students whom Nabrit taught at Morehouse.
Professional life
An accomplished
marine biologist
Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifi ...
, Nabrit studied the regeneration of the tail fins of injured fish at the
Marine Biological Laboratory
The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is an international center for research and education in biological and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution that was independent ...
where he became the second African-American scientist to obtain membership into the Marine Biological Laboratory Corporation.
Nabrit began his teaching career at Morehouse College in 1925 where was a professor of zoology and named Chair of the biology department in 1932.
[Chris Routledge]
"Samuel Milton Nabrit"
Gale Contemporary Black Biography. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
He later became chairman of the biology department at
Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Fou ...
in 1932, and from 1957 to 1955 was dean of the graduate school of arts and sciences at Atlanta University.
In 1950, Nabrit was a research fellow at the
University of Brussels in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. The scientific papers Nabrit published, during this period, remained influential in the field for decades.
[
In 1955, he was named the second president of ]Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,00 ...
where he served as president until 1966. Between 1956 and 1962, Nabrit served on President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
's National Science Board
The National Science Board (NSB) of the United States establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation (NSF) within the framework of applicable national policies set forth by the President and the Congress. The NSB also serves as an ind ...
.[
He was appointed by President ]John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
to be the United States Ambassador
Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S ...
to Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages[Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...](_blank)
appointed Nabrit to the United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by U.S. Congress to foster and control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology. President ...
. One year later, Nabrit founded the Southern Fellowship Fund in an effort to assist African-American students pursuing doctoral degrees. He directed the program (later known as the National Fellowship Fund of the Council of Southern Universities) well into his later years of life.[
In 1945, he served as president of the National Institute of Science, a nonprofit national scientific organization for students and faculty members at ]historically black colleges and universities
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. ...
.[National Institute of Science (NIS)]
/ref>
In 1967, Nabrit was elected to the Board of Trustees at Brown University.
Along with the Nabrit Fellowship established at Brown University in 1985, the Nabrit Black Graduate Student Association at Brown University is named in his honor.[Nabrit Black Graduate Student Association]
Brown University 2006-2008. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
In 1999, the university honored Nabrit with the hanging of a portrait alongside Brown's most distinguished faculty.[
]
Selected works
*"The Role of the Fin Rays in Tailfins of Fishes Fundulus and Goldfish", ''Biological Bulletin'', April 1929.
*"Human Ecology in Georgia", ''Science Education'', October 1944.
*"The Negro in Science", ''Negro History Bulletin'', January 1957.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nabrit, Samuel
Brown University alumni
20th-century African-American academics
20th-century American academics
20th-century American educators
1905 births
2003 deaths
Morehouse College alumni
Morehouse College faculty
People from Macon, Georgia
American biologists
20th-century African-American scientists
20th-century American scientists
Members of the National Academy of Medicine