(Des Moines, IA) -- February 1st will now be known as George Washington Carver Day in Iowa. Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 2380 into law Thursday, officially giving the Iowa State alum an official day to be recognized.
The Iowa Senate debated and passed the bill on April 19th. State Senator Dan Zumbach spoke on Carver's accomplishments.
"This country is not hungry and they are not cold. Codifying seed to produce food has been the way that we've been able to get it done, because of folks like George Washington Carver," said Senator Zumbach.
George Washington Carver started studying art at Simpson College before studying botany at Iowa State Agricultural College in 1891. Carver would go on to conduct research at Tuskegee University, developing new agricultural practices such as crop rotation.
State Senator Herman Quirmbach spoke on the significance of Carver's accomplishments, given his race and the era.
"George Washington Carver is a remarkable story of overcoming racism to become one of our leading agricultural scientists," says Senator Quirmbach. "He went on to give his talents to benefit all of the country, but especially those who had risen out of slavery."