George Washington Carver: January 1864 – January 5, 1943

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Whether or not evidence exists of homosexual desire, identification, or activity on the part of Carver, the rumors about him can be studied as revealing evidence of changing historical attitudes toward homosexuality.

Bibliography

Brodie, James Michael. Created Equal: The Lives and Ideas of Black American Innovators. New York: William Morrow, 1993.

Griffin, Horace L. Their Own Receive Them Not: African American Lesbians & Gays in Black Churches. Cleveland, Ohio: The Pilgrim Press, 2006. Pages 114-116 on Carver.

Holt, Rackham. George Washington Carver: An American Biography. New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1943.

Kremer, Gary R. George Washington Carver: In His Own Words.

"One unfortunate by-product of Carver's early, continued, and extensive association with women waas that it nurtured rumors that he was homosexual. The fact that he never married and that he had a decidedly feminine voice no doubt also provided fodder for the rumormongers. Despite Carver's close relationships with many young boys, there is no evidence that those relationships were anything other than platonic.

McMurry, Linda O. George Washington Carver: Scientist and Symbol. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981.

Carver gave peanut oil massages, and "most of his male friends received at least one massage from the professor." "His massage activities fanned the fires of speculation regarding Carver's sexual orientation. It is impossible to know what Carver felt toward his male patients, but the intensity of some of these relationships suggests some degree of sexual emotions. If such feelings did exist, it is doubtful that they were ever consciously recognized by Carver. Instead the emotion were transmuted into a feeling of spiritual oneness with his friends. Some psychologists have noted a certain similarity between the emotions of sexual and religious fervor, and Carver's emotional needs appear to have been met through his religion and his religious friendships. His reluctance to accept female patients reflected a realistic appraisal of his particular circumstances rather than his sexual orientation. Rumors of his homosexuality perist but are undocumented. The letters that most seem to confirm the rumors were written to white teenage boys, and Carver was smart enough not to risk a homosexual relationship with them in Black Belt Alabama.

Many letters of Carver's former students to him, and his to those students, mention "spankings, beatings, or thrashings. . . . What such letters referred to were Carver's constant teasing threats to 'beat' his 'bad boys.' Occasionally he actually administered a mock thrashing by gently scuffling with 'his children." McMurry notes: "Such horseplay was not very dignified, and some faculty members regarded the activity with distaste. A few even hinted that Carver's relationship with his boys was tainted with homosexuality. Carver did display an intensely warm and caring feeling for 'his children that was more typical of a mother than a father." Women had played "key roles in his developing self image. His gentleness, religious nature, and appreciation of beauty are traits labeled feminine in Western culture, and the pleasure he took in cooking, sewing, and needlework served to enhance suspicions. Yet the persistent rumors of homosexuality most likely resulted from failure to understand an orientation to life that deviated from the norm."

In reference to "Carver's high-pitched voice", McMurry denies rumors that Carver had been castrated at a youth. "In 1937 Carver, replying to a friend's question as to why he had never married, referred obliquely to a tragic incident of his past that prevented his taking a wife. He was also very relectant to discuss the years between his departure from Diamond [Alabama?] and his arrival at Iowa State, often declaring that there were some things that he would rather forget.

"Carver's only courtship [of a woman] failed to result in marriage. The courtship may have been painful for Carver, as he was reluctant to speak of it in later years, and thus few details are known. He did seriously think about marriage in 1905, for he wrote Mrs. Liston for her advice. The most likely candidate for the prospective bride is Sarah L. Hunt, the sister-in-law of the [Tuskeegee] Institute's treasurer, Warren Logan. According to Carver, he and the lady realized that they did not share the same goals. Numerous other factors may have played a role in his failure to marry. In addition to being a loner, Carver's work and religion absorbed most of his time and energy. He dedicated his life to the church. Of course, the remote possibility of a physical disability could also have influenced him. At any rate, despite numerous match-making efforts by his friends, Carver never seriously considered marriage again."

Rapp, Linda. "Carver, George Washington". General Editor: Claude J. Summers. glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture. Last Updated October 22, 2007. Web Address: www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/carver_gw.html