Profile: Moddie Daniel Taylor, Ph.D., One of America's Six Top College Chemistry Professors 

Chemist • Educator • Manhattan Project Scientist

The portrait introduces Moddie Taylor as the man behind an extraordinary scientific career. Beside him, “THEY WERE THERE” places his story within a larger truth: Black scientists were present in the laboratories and research programs that helped shape the Atomic Age.

Taylor was more than a wartime scientist. He was a brilliant student, a researcher in rare earth chemistry, a longtime professor, a department chair, and the author of a chemistry textbook used by colleges and universities across the United States. He rose through science at a time when racial discrimination restricted opportunity, yet his career demonstrates that exclusion from popular historical narratives should never be mistaken for exclusion from achievement.

Together, the images ask visitors to reconsider who they picture when they think about American science.

Overview:

Moddie Daniel Taylor (1912–1976) was an American chemist, educator, and Manhattan Project scientist. Born in Nymph, Alabama, he later moved to St. Louis and graduated from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, as valedictorian of his class in 1935. He earned a master's degree from the University of Chicago in 1939 and a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1943. After receiving his doctorate, Taylor worked as an associate chemist at the University of Chicago's secret Metallurgical Laboratory, or Met Lab, during the Manhattan Project. His research focused on the chemical properties of rare earth metals. After World War II, he taught at Lincoln University before joining Howard University, where he became a respected professor and later chaired the Chemistry Department. His 1960 textbook, First Principles of Chemistry, became widely used in colleges and universities. 

Primary Source Spotlight:

A Scientist's Application for Opportunity

In 1942, Moddie Daniel Taylor applied for support to continue his advanced study in chemistry at the University of Chicago. This Rosenwald Fund document records his education, teaching experience at Lincoln University, research plans, and professional references. More than a résumé, it captures Taylor at an important moment in his development as a scientist—seeking the opportunity to continue the research that would help shape his career. 

Primary Source Spotlight:

A Text Book With National Reach

Published in 1960, Moddie Taylor's First Principles of Chemistry became a core college chemistry textbook at universities across the United States. That same year, Taylor was selected by the Manufacturing Chemists Association as one of the nation's six top college chemistry professors, recognizing his excellence in teaching. Together, the book and honor reflect Moddie Taylor's influence as both a scientist and an educator. 

Why This Story Matters:

Moddie Taylor matters because his life challenges the narrow image of who participated in major scientific achievements of the twentieth century. He was part of the small group of Black scientists whose work contributed to the Manhattan Project, yet his importance did not end with World War II.

Taylor built a career as both a scientist and an educator. His research, teaching, leadership at Howard University, and widely used chemistry textbook extended his influence to generations of students. In 1960, he was selected as one of the nation's six top college chemistry professors.

Taylor also spoke directly about the relationship between science and prejudice. He argued that scientific investigation required freedom from bias. His career therefore represents more than individual achievement. It demonstrates why scientific history is incomplete when the contributions of Black researchers are overlooked.

Legacy:

Moddie Taylor left a legacy in both scientific research and education. Following the war, he returned briefly to Lincoln University before beginning a long career at Howard University. He became chair of the Chemistry Department in 1969 and served in that position until his retirement in 1976. Howard University continues to recognize him as a pioneer of the Atomic Age and an important figure in the department's history.

His influence also reached far beyond the universities where he taught. His textbook, First Principles of Chemistry, became widely used by college students throughout the United States. He received recognition for both teaching and research, including the Honor Scroll from the Washington Institute of Chemists.

Taylor's story is a reminder that scientific achievement is not always reflected in the historical images most people remember. He was there—in the classroom, in the laboratory, at the Met Lab, and among the Black scientists whose contributions helped shape twentieth-century American science.

Discussion Questions:

1. Moddie Taylor's achievements showed what he was capable of doing. How might a person's life be different when they have the opportunity to develop and use their abilities—and when those opportunities are limited? 

2. Why might a scientist's work on a highly classified project be more difficult for historians to fully document?

3. Taylor believed prejudice had no place in scientific investigation. Why is it important for science to remain open to ideas and talent from people of different backgrounds?

Reflection Prompt:

1. Moddie Taylor believed that science required freedom from prejudice. What can happen to talented people when society limits who is encouraged, educated, hired, or seen as capable of doing important intellectual work? How might those limits affect not only their lives but also the discoveries society is able to make? 

Sources & Further Reading:

1. “Remembering Moddie Taylor, a Black scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project.” University of Chicago News. Website. February 23, 2022.

2. “Moddie Daniel Taylor (1912–1976).” BlackPast.org. July 25, 2011. 

3. “Black History Month: 5 Facts About Dr. Moddie Taylor.” U.S. Department of Energy. Website. February 7, 2019. 

4. “Remembering Moddie Taylor, a Black Scientist Who Worked on the Manhattan Project.” University of Chicago News. Website. February 23, 2022. 

5. Taylor, Moddie D. “Letter to William A. Lester, Jr., August 30, 1974.” William A. Lester, Jr. Papers, Box 1, Folder 38. Science History Institute. 

6. “Application for Moddie Daniel Taylor.” Julius Rosenwald Fund Archives, 1942. John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library, Fisk University. 

7. Brown, Herbert C., Herman Bartholomay, Jr., and Moddie D. Taylor. “Acid-Base Studies in Gaseous Systems. II. The Anomalous Base Strength of the Methylamines; A New Manifestation of Steric Strain.” Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 66, no. 3, 1944, pp. 435–442. 

8. Taylor, Moddie D. First Principles of Chemistry. D. Van Nostrand Company, 1960. Internet Archive. 

9. Dr. Moddie Daniel Taylor, associate chemist for the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago. Courtesy Smithsonian Institution Archives/MAPR NPS site. Photograph

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