1887-1955

American Biochemist

On his way to winning the 1946 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, James B. Sumner overcame not only a physical handicap, but prevailing scientific opinion. At that time the received wisdom held that, first of all, it was impossible to isolate an enzyme, and furthermore, that enzymes were not proteins. Sumner proved both assertions wrong.

Born in Canton, Massachusetts, on November 19, 1887, Sumner was the son of Charles and Elizabeth Kelly Sumner. They were a wealthy family whose New England lineage went back all the way to 1636, and they lived on a large estate. There the young Sumner enjoyed hunting and shooting, a hobby that resulted in tragedy when he lost his left forearm and elbow in a shooting accident. This was a particularly great misfortune due to the fact that he was left-handed, but he learned to work with his right.

Sumner originally...