Clyde Harold Bailey was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 15, 1887. He graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Agriculture in 1905, received a B.S. in 1913 from North Dakota State University, an M.S. from the University of Minnesota in 1916 and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 1921.
Clyde Bailey began his career as an assistant biochemist at the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (1911-1913). He was promoted to instructor in 1913, assistant professor in 1914, associate professor in 1917 and professor in 1920. In 1938, Dr. Bailey was named vice-director of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and was appointed as dean and director of the department of agriculture in 1942. He retired from the University of Minnesota on January 1, 1953 as Dean Emeritus. He was National Delegate to ICC (International Association for Cereal Science and Technology) from its Founding in 1955 and was made ICC Honorary President from 1958 to 1968. Clyde Bailey died on March 18, 1968.
Clyde Bailey was considered the world's foremost authority on cereal chemistry and flour milling during his tenure at the University of Minnesota. In 1932, Clyde Bailey was the second person awarded the Thomas Burr Osborne Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Cereal Chemistry, awarded by the then American Association of Cereal Chemists, now AACC International. He edited the journal Cereal Chemistry for over 20 years and Authored the monograph “The Constituents of Wheat and Wheat Products”, Reinhold Publishing, New York 1944.
In 1969 the ICC decided to create an international award for “Outstanding Achievements in the Service of Cereal Science and Technology”, this award was named the Clyde H. Bailey Medal. The medal was first awarded in 1970 to Dr Fredrich Schweitzer of Austria. The medal was given on 9 other occasions between 1974 and 2000. After a 8 year gap it was presented to Prof. Barry McCleary at the ICC 13th World Cereal and Bread Congress held in Madrid in June 2008.