Biochemist Marie Maynard Daly was born (April 16, 1921) she was the first Black woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D.
Biochemist Marie Maynard Daly was born (April 16, 1921) she was the first Black woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry (awarded by Columbia University in 1947). Daly made important contributions in four areas of research: the chemistry of histones, protein synthesis, the relationships between cholesterol and hypertension, and creatine's uptake by muscle cells. Daly attended Hunter College High School, a laboratory high school for girls run by Hunter College faculty, where she was also encouraged to pursue chemistry. She then enrolled in Queens College, a small, fairly new school in Flushing, New York. She lived at home to save money and graduated magna cum laude from Queens College with her bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1942. Upon graduation, she was named a Queens College Scholar, an honor that is awarded to the top 2.5% of the graduating class. Daly's interest in science was also influenced by her father, who had attended Cornell University with the ...