Theophilus Shickel Painter

Background

Painter, Theophilus Shickel was born on August 22, 1889 in Salem, Virginia, United States. Son of Franklin Verzelius Newton and Laura Trimble (Shickel) Painter.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, Roanoke College, Salem. Virginia, 1908; Master of Arts, Yale, 1909, Doctor of Philosophy, 1913, honorary Doctor of Science, 1936. Studied University of Wurtzburg, 1913-1914.

Doctor of Laws, Roanoke College, 1942.

Career

He did so by applying the incredible detail that had just been discovered to be visible in the giant polytene chromosomes in the salivary glands of Drosophila and other Dipteran larvae. Painter joined the faculty at the University of Texas in 1916 and, except for military duty during World War I, stayed there his whole career. He was, in succession, associate professor, professor and distinguished professor of zoology.

He served as acting president (1944–1946) and president (1946–1952) of the University of Texas and retired from active teaching in 1966.

Painter was president of the University of Texas when Texas resident Hermon Marion Sweatt applied for and was denied admission due to his race. Subsequently, Painter was the named defendant in the civil rights case Sweatt v.

Painter, 339 United States.629 (1950), which proved an integral stepping stone in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas that held that "separate is inherently unequal" and led to the integration of America"s public schools.

Painter is also known for his early study of human chromosomes.

In 1921 he first gave the number 24 for the count of human meiotic chromosomes. He had tried to count the tangled mass of chromosomes he could see under a microscope in spermatocytes in slices of testicle and arrived at the figure of 24. Others later repeated his experiment in other ways and agreed upon the number of 24.

Popular thinking held that if there were 24 chromosomes in spermatocytes, there must be an equal number contributed by the female and the human chromosome number must be 48, which was undisputed for more than 30 years.

Then in 1955, Joe Hin Tjio, using more advanced techniques, looked at the chromosomes in human somatic cells and found 46 chromosomes. Together with Albert Levan, Tjio published his finding in early 1956, and the human chromosome number was finally revised.

Achievements

• Theophilus Shickel Painter has been listed as a noteworthy zoologist by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

Member 10th Field Artillery, Connecticut National Guard, 1916. Member American Society Zoologists, National Academy Science, English Speaking Union, Sigma Xi, Phi Eta Sigma, Alpha Omega Alpha, Phi Kappa Phi, also numerous other science societies. Clubs: University, Town and Gown.

American editor 10th edit

Vade-Mecum.

Connections

Married Anna Mary Thomas, December 29, 1917. Children: Elizabeth Tyler (Mistress South.P.R. Hutchins), Anne Trimble (Mistress Thornton C. Greer), Theophilus South., Joseph Thomas.

Father:

Franklin Verzelius Newton Painter

Mother:

Laura Trimble (Shickel) Painter

Spouse:

Anna Mary Thomas

child:

Theophilus South. Painter

child:

Elizabeth Tyler Painter (Mistress South.P.R. Hutchins)

child:

Joseph Thomas Painter

child:

Anne Trimble Painter (Mistress Thornton C. Greer)