Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Percy Julian received his associate degree from DePauw University in 1920. He taught chemistry at Fisk University from 1920 to 1922 and earned his M.A. degree from Harvard in 1923. He taught at West Virginia State College in 1926 and became head of the chemistry department at Howard University in 1928. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in 1931. A year later he took a job as a research fellow and professor at DePauw University. He was a chemist, director of the Julian Research Institute, and a member of the American Institute of Chemists. Julian developed synthetic cortisone for arthritis sufferers and received the 1968 Chemical Pioneer Award.

Source:
Carey, Charles W. Jr. “Julian, Percy Lavon.” American National Biography. February 2000. http://www.anb.org/articles/13/13-01911.html. 1 April, 2005.

 In Black and White . Ed. Mary Mace Spradling. Vol.1. 3 rd ed. Gale Research: Detroit, 1980. p.543.