St. Elmo Brady was the first Black American to obtain a Ph.D. in Chemistry in the United States. He received that degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 1916.
St. Elmo Brady went on to build chemistry curricula, faculty, programs, and facilities at four major historically black colleges and universities. He was honored by the American Chemical Society with a National Historic Chemical Landmark at UIUC, Tuskegee University, Howard University, Fisk University, and Tougaloo College.
ACS National Historic Chemical Landmarks – St. Elmo Brady | Chemistry at Illinois: St. Elmo Brady Lecture Series