Carver George



George Washington Carver ALS to Tuskegee Institute Principal Dr. Robert R. Moton







1p ALS inscribed overall and signed by research scientist George Washington Carver (1860s-1843) as "G.W. Carver." at lower right. Dated March 7, 1921. On a watermarked cream half-sheet inscribed in green fountain pen. Expected light paper folds and a few chipped edges, else in very good to near fine condition. The ink has slightly faded but the text is entirely legible. 8.5" x 6.625".







In full:







"3-7-21.







My dear Dr. Moton,







To my mind one of the most significant addresses you have made, was delivered last night.







I believe it will have the farthest reaching effect for good, on account of the rare body of people to whom the strong and courageous appeal was made.







Yours very truly,







G.W. Carver."







"Dr. Moton" referred to Dr. Robert R. Moton (1867-1940), George Washington Carver's colleague at the historically black Tuskegee Institute. Moton was a graduate of the Institute who served as an administrator there before succeeding founder Booker T. Washington as its principal between 1915-1935. Carver headed the Agriculture Department at Tuskegee during the entirety of Dr. Moton's administration as principal.







It's unknown what Dr. Moton spoke about in the March 6, 1921 address so highly praised by Carver. But it was likely related to Tuskegee's mission to provide social and economic opportunities to blacks in contemporary American society. This was a mission to which Carver was also fully committed.







Just two months earlier, in January 1921, Carver had provided lengthy expert testimony about the versatility of peanuts as an agricultural staple before the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives. Carver greatly impressed the skeptical Congressmen by the tremendous scope of his knowledge, and became known thereafter on the national stage as "the peanut man."







Carver was a brilliant botanist who promoted crop rotation and diversification practices in the American South. He was one of the first to promote planting alternative crops like peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes, and pecans to allow cotton-depleted lands to rest. Carver's interest in agriculture overlapped with his other causes, like environmentalism, social justice, and racial equality. To him, the causes went hand in hand.







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