Marie Maynard Daly
Encyclopedia
Marie Maynard Daly was an American biochemist. She was the first African American woman in the United States
to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry
(awarded by Columbia University in 1947).
, found work as a postal clerk, and eventually married Helen Page of Washington, D.C. They lived in New York, and Daly was born and raised in Corona, Queens
. She often visited her maternal grandparents in Washington, where she was able to read about scientists and their achievements in her grandfather’s extensive library. She was especially impressed by Paul de Kruif
’s The Microbe Hunters, a work which partially influenced her decision to become a scientist.
Daly’s father, who had attended Cornell University
with intentions of becoming a chemist, was unable to complete his education due to a lack of funds. His daughter was there for continuing her father’s legacy by majoring in chemistry. Many years later, Daly started a Queens’ College scholarship fund in her father’s honor to assist minority students majoring in chemistry or physics.
(where she was also encouraged to pursue chemistry), she enrolled in Queens College
, a small, fairly new school in Flushing
, New York. She lived at home to save money, majored in chemistry, and graduated from Queens magna cum laude in 1942.
. She completed her Master in Chemistry in one year. She then enrolled in the doctoral program at Columbia University
, where, under the supervision of Dr. Mary L. Caldwell, she completed her Ph.D. in chemistry in 1947. Caldwell, who had a doctorate in nutrition, helped Daly discover how chemicals produced in the body contribute to food digestion.
Daly served two years as a physical science instructor at Howard University
. After being awarded an American Cancer Society
grant to support her postdoctoral research, she joined Dr. A. E. Mirsky
at the Rockefeller Institute, where they studied the cell nucleus
. In 1953, after Watson
and Crick
described the structure of DNA
, Daly’s world changed significantly: suddenly, the cell nucleus research field was flooded with funding opportunities. Her work flourished in the new environment.
In 1960 Daly and Deming moved to Yeshiva University
at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
in New York City. At Yeshiva, she continued her research and taught biochemistry courses. She enjoyed teaching medical students and was dedicated to increasing the number of minority students enrolled in medical schools.
Daly also served as an investigator for the American Heart Association
; she was especially interested in how hypertension affects the circulatory system. She was a member of the prestigious Board of Governors of the New York Academy of Sciences
for two years. Daly retired from the Einstein College of Medicine in 1986 and in 1988 she established a scholarship for African American chemistry and physics majors at Queens College in memory of her father.
In 1961 Daly married Vincent Clark.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
(awarded by Columbia University in 1947).
Early life
Daly’s father had immigrated from the British West IndiesBritish West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
, found work as a postal clerk, and eventually married Helen Page of Washington, D.C. They lived in New York, and Daly was born and raised in Corona, Queens
Corona, Queens
Corona is a densely-populated neighborhood in the former Township of Newtown in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States...
. She often visited her maternal grandparents in Washington, where she was able to read about scientists and their achievements in her grandfather’s extensive library. She was especially impressed by Paul de Kruif
Paul de Kruif
Paul Henry de Kruif was an American microbiologist and author of Dutch descent. Publishing as Paul de Kruif, he is most noted for his 1926 book, Microbe Hunters...
’s The Microbe Hunters, a work which partially influenced her decision to become a scientist.
Daly’s father, who had attended Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
with intentions of becoming a chemist, was unable to complete his education due to a lack of funds. His daughter was there for continuing her father’s legacy by majoring in chemistry. Many years later, Daly started a Queens’ College scholarship fund in her father’s honor to assist minority students majoring in chemistry or physics.
Education
After Daly graduated from all-girls Hunter College High SchoolHunter College High School
Hunter College High School is a New York City secondary school for intellectually gifted students located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is administered by Hunter College, a senior college of the City University of New York. Although it is not operated by the New York City Department of...
(where she was also encouraged to pursue chemistry), she enrolled in Queens College
Queens College, City University of New York
Queens College, located in Flushing, Queens, New York City, is one of the senior colleges of the City University of New York. It is also the fifth oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning. The college's seventy seven acre campus is located in the heart of the...
, a small, fairly new school in Flushing
Flushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
, New York. She lived at home to save money, majored in chemistry, and graduated from Queens magna cum laude in 1942.
Early career
Daly remained at Queens College for another year, working as a laboratory assistant while attending graduate school at New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. She completed her Master in Chemistry in one year. She then enrolled in the doctoral program at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where, under the supervision of Dr. Mary L. Caldwell, she completed her Ph.D. in chemistry in 1947. Caldwell, who had a doctorate in nutrition, helped Daly discover how chemicals produced in the body contribute to food digestion.
Daly served two years as a physical science instructor at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
. After being awarded an American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
grant to support her postdoctoral research, she joined Dr. A. E. Mirsky
Alfred Mirsky
Alfred Ezra Mirsky was an American pioneer in molecular biology.Mirsky graduated from Harvard College in 1922, after which he studied for two years at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons until 1924 when he moved to the University of Cambridge on a US National Research...
at the Rockefeller Institute, where they studied the cell nucleus
Cell nucleus
In cell biology, the nucleus is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in eukaryotic cells. It contains most of the cell's genetic material, organized as multiple long linear DNA molecules in complex with a large variety of proteins, such as histones, to form chromosomes. The genes within these...
. In 1953, after Watson
James D. Watson
James Dewey Watson is an American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist, best known as one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA in 1953 with Francis Crick...
and Crick
Francis Crick
Francis Harry Compton Crick OM FRS was an English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist, and most noted for being one of two co-discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953, together with James D. Watson...
described the structure of DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, Daly’s world changed significantly: suddenly, the cell nucleus research field was flooded with funding opportunities. Her work flourished in the new environment.
Later career
In 1955 Daly returned to Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons to teach biochemistry. She began collaborating with Dr. Quentin B. Deming to investigate the underlying causes of heart attacks. They found that high cholesterol levels contributed to the blockage of arteries that supply oxygen to the heart. She also investigated the effects of sugar on the function of coronary arteries. Later, she became a pioneer in studying the impact of cigarette smoking on the lungs.In 1960 Daly and Deming moved to Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a graduate school of Yeshiva University. It is a not-for-profit, private, nonsectarian medical school located on the Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus in the Morris Park neighborhood of the borough of the Bronx of New York City...
in New York City. At Yeshiva, she continued her research and taught biochemistry courses. She enjoyed teaching medical students and was dedicated to increasing the number of minority students enrolled in medical schools.
Daly also served as an investigator for the American Heart Association
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
; she was especially interested in how hypertension affects the circulatory system. She was a member of the prestigious Board of Governors of the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
for two years. Daly retired from the Einstein College of Medicine in 1986 and in 1988 she established a scholarship for African American chemistry and physics majors at Queens College in memory of her father.
In 1961 Daly married Vincent Clark.
Sources
- Brown, Mitchell, “Faces of Science: African-Americans in the Sciences,�? 1996
- Kessler, James; Kidd, J.S.; Kidd, Renee; and Morin, Katherine A. Distinguished African-American Scientists of the 20th Century. Oryx Press: Phoenix, AZ, 1996.
- “Biographical Snapshots of Famous Women and Minority Scientists�?: Journal of Chemical Education