He was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey into a farming family, and received a bachelor's degree in soil chemistry from Rutgers University, followed by a Ph.D. from the same university in soil microbiology; his advisor was Selman Waksman.
He was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey into a farming family, that was forced to move out of the state during the Great Depression. He received a bachelor's degree in soil chemistry from Rutgers University, followed by a Ph.D. from the same university in soil microbiology; his advisor was Selman Waksman.