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Biographical Memoirs Volume 61 (1992) / Chapter Skim
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Perry William Wilson
Pages 438-467

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From page 439...
... Wilson's research laid the groundwork for the phenomenal increase in studies on the biochemistry, genetics, and physiology of biological nitrogen fixation, a process vital to maintenance of the nitrogen cycle on earth. Perry William Wilson was born in Bonanza, Arkansas.
From page 440...
... In my senior year I took chemistry, but the experience did not alter my plans for a career: attend the local teacher's college and become a professor of high school mathematics. After completing his high school work in 1920, Perry Wilson receiver!
From page 441...
... The company sold fermentation residues as an animal feed, and Perry did the nitrogen analyses to establish that the protein content of the material met standards. Perry studied for another year at Rose Polytechnic Institute and then returned to CSC in the lacquer research
From page 442...
... for the second semester in 1926 anct was granted fifty credits for his work at Rose Polytechnic Institute. His record shows that he later was permitted to substitute organic chemistry for physiology, physical chemistry for animal husbanclry, anc!
From page 443...
... in 1928 and submitted an unclergracluate thesis project, "Procluction of Acetylmethyl Carbinol by Clostradium acetobutylicum." In September 192S, Perry Wilson returned to Mactison to initiate his graduate studies. He continued work in bacteriology and agricultural chemistry under the direction of E
From page 444...
... Perry was inherently a nervous and constantly active person, and it was up to Helen to try to keep things on an even keel. As Helen opined later, "Life with Perry was always exciting, sometimes a little hectic, but never dull." Back in the laboratory in the fall of 1929, Perry started to learn about growing plants, as his research was to focus on fixation in leguminous plants.
From page 445...
... him that leguminous plants, such as peas, accumulated considerably more nitrogen than non-leguminous controls, and he suggested that the nitrogen was cierivecl from air. Liebig, who was the leacling organic chemist of the clay, assailecl the findings of Boussingault without bothering to do any experiments to check their validity.
From page 446...
... leguminous plants can utilize molecular nitrogen. The information was rather quickly recluced to agronomic practice, ancl in time it became an accepted practice to inoculate leguminous seeds with suitable root nodule bacteria at the time of planting, so that their roots would become properly infected to form noclules.
From page 447...
... on the occasion of receiving the Pasteur Awarc! in his lecture "Chance Favors the Prepared Minct," The first piece of luck arose because we chose the wrong experimental material with which to make the study the symbiotic system of leguminous plants and the root nodule bacteria.
From page 448...
... Balctwin, and McCoy entitlecl "The Root Nodule Bacteria anct Leguminous Plants." The decade of the thirties incluclecT a year when Perry Wilson clicI research abroad on a Guggenheim fellowship. In his letter supporting Perry's application for the Guggenheim fellowship, E
From page 449...
... The occurrence of aspartic acic! among the excreted compounds was a cornerstone in Virtanen's hypothesis that hydroxylamine was the key intermediate in biological nitrogen fixation.
From page 450...
... Emphasis was shifted from leguminous plants to the more easily manipulatecl freeliving nitrogen fixers. The lab group soon establishecl that hydrogen was a specific, competitive inhibitor of nitrogen fixation in Azotobacter vinelandii as well as in the rect clover stucliecl earlier.
From page 451...
... Today, the research on biological nitrogen fixation has expanded greatly, and it is difficult for the work of one inclividual and his associates to have an impact comparable to that of Perry Wilson's. Perry always had an inquiring
From page 452...
... . ~ Perry Wilson directed a highly productive research group until the time in 1972 when he had a serious stroke while lecturing to a large bacteriology class.
From page 453...
... great satisfaction from this. His son recalls that on the clay of election Perry left work early and pickocl him up at West High, and when Richie asked what the excitement was, Perry replied, "Richie, I've been elected!
From page 454...
... cluring the thirties, and Perry Wilson was fortunate to have the Frasch Founciation grant. The combined grant to bacteriology and biochemistry was about $10,000 a year, and those of us who were grad students in Perry's lab were the envy of others in the department because of our affluence.
From page 455...
... Perry Wilson had a humble background, but he was highly talented and used his opportunities effectively to establish a special place for himself in the areas of biological nitrogen fixation. He planned his research with imagination and created a solid base upon which he, his students, anti current investigators have been able to build an enduring structure.
From page 456...
... Further studies on the relation between the carbon assimilation and nitrogen fixation in leguminous plants.
From page 457...
... Fred. On photosynthesis and free nitrogen assimilation by leguminous plants.
From page 458...
... Host plant specificity among the Medicago in association with root nodule bacteria.
From page 459...
... Studies of biological nitrogen fixation with isotopic nitrogen.
From page 460...
... Guttentag. Nature of carbon monoxide inhibition of biological nitrogen fixation.
From page 461...
... The mechanism of biological nitrogen fixation. Bacteriol.
From page 462...
... Isolation of the key intermediate in biological nitrogen fixation by Clostridium.
From page 463...
... Evan Pugh- Forgotten man of biological nitrogen fixation. Bacteriol.
From page 464...
... Untersuchungen uber die oxydative phosphorylierung durch Azotobacter vinelandii.
From page 465...
... Biological nitrogen fixation Early American style. Bacteriol.
From page 466...
... First steps in biological nitrogen fixation.
From page 467...
... Kinetic studies on Bacillus polymyxa nitrogenase.


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