From Morehouse to the Manhattan Project, the South Carolina Chemist Helped Shape the Nuclear Age—and Advanced Radiochemistry for a Generation
Among them was Benjamin Franklin Scott (1922–2000) — a chemist born in Florence, South Carolina, whose work at the University of Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory contributed to the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
As part of 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS’ Black History Series, Scott’s life offers a powerful reminder that the American scientific enterprise has always been broader—and more diverse—than the conventional narrative suggests.
From Florence to Morehouse: Building a Scientific Foundation
Born October 19, 1922, to Benny and Viola Scott, Benjamin Franklin Scott grew up in Florence, South Carolina, alongside his two older sisters, Mary and Rosa. At a time when segregation defined nearly every aspect of American life, Scott pursued higher education with determination.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1942 from Morehouse College, the prestigious Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Atlanta known for producing generations of Black leaders in science, ministry, law, and public service.
Scott later continued his studies at the University of Chicago, earning a Master of Science degree in 1950 — a rare academic achievement for African Americans in mid-20th-century America.
Inside the Manhattan Project: Science in a Segregated America
Between 1943 and 1946, Scott worked as a chemist at the University of Chicago’s Metallurgical Laboratory, one of the primary research hubs for the Manhattan Project.
The Manhattan Project — a top-secret federal initiative — would ultimately lead to the development of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, effectively ending World War II and ushering in the nuclear age.
Scott worked alongside other notable African American scientists, including:
- Harold Delaney
- Moddie Taylor
- Jasper Brown Jeffries
While the scientific breakthroughs of the Manhattan Project reshaped geopolitics, African American scientists often navigated both classified research and the racial barriers of Jim Crow America. Their presence in the laboratory was itself a quiet revolution.
Building the Tools of the Nuclear Age
Following World War II, Scott transitioned into the rapidly expanding field of nuclear instrumentation.
From 1946 to 1950, he worked as a subcontractor and manufacturer of Geiger counters — radiation-detection instruments critical to both military and civilian nuclear research. In an era defined by atomic testing and Cold War anxieties, such instrumentation was central to monitoring radiation safety and advancing scientific research.
Scott later served as a radio-chemist and eventually Chief Chemist for the Nuclear Instrument Company, which was renamed the Nuclear-Chicago Corporation in 1954. His tenure from 1949 to 1963 coincided with the institutionalization of atomic research across universities, government laboratories, and private industry.
In 1963, Scott became Technical Director for the New England Nuclear (NEN) Assay Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts — a firm deeply embedded in radiochemical research and nuclear measurement.
While at NEN, Scott co-authored research published in Analytical Chemistry, one of the discipline’s most respected journals. He also published in the Journal of Radioanalytical Chemistry and contributed reports to the Atomic Energy Commission in 1952, 1959, and 1961.
His research focused on radiometric methods and uranium-235 emission — foundational work for nuclear measurement and isotope analysis during the height of the Cold War.
In an era when African American scientists were rarely profiled or publicly credited, Scott’s published scholarship positioned him among the serious practitioners of American nuclear science.
A Life Beyond the Laboratory
Scott married Bessie Joyce Sampson, a fellow South Carolina native. Their son was born in 1950. After decades of scientific service and leadership, Scott died on October 16, 2000, in Sumter, South Carolina, at age 77.
His life bridged some of the most consequential chapters in American history: World War II, the dawn of the nuclear era, the Cold War, and the civil rights movement.
Why Benjamin Franklin Scott’s Story Matters Today
As national conversations continue around representation in STEM, HBCU contributions to American innovation, and the hidden history of the Manhattan Project, Scott’s career underscores several enduring truths:
HBCUs like Morehouse College have long fueled America’s scientific workforce.
African American scientists played direct roles in shaping the nuclear age.
The infrastructure of nuclear science extended far beyond the bomb itself — into instrumentation, radiochemistry, and regulatory measurement.
The story of Benjamin Franklin Scott is not merely a footnote in atomic history. It is part of the backbone.
In telling it, we tell it like it is.
#BlackHistorySeries✊🏾, #STEMPioneers🔬, #ManhattanProject⚛️, #HBCULegacy🎓, #HiddenFigures, #TELLITLIKEITIS🎙️,
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-- By Masakela P. Rawls
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