1904-1971

American biochemist who shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1946 with John Northrup and James Sumner for their work demonstrating the molecular structure of viruses. Specifically, Stanley crystallized the tobacco mosaic virus, a diseasecausing agent in plants, to demonstrate its basic structure. Other scientists used this information to ascertain its precise molecular structure. A recognized authority on viruses, he made many important contributions to the field, including the development of an influenza vaccination.