Garrett Morgan, born March 4, 1877 in Kentucky.
He blazed a trail for African American inventors with his many patents. With only an elementary education, Morgan began his career as a sewing machine mechanic. He continued on to patent several inventions, a more improved sewing machine, traffic signal, a hair straightening product, and a respiratory device that later would provide the blueprint for World War I gas mask.
Morgan has so much drive, even though he had only an elementary education, he was able to pay for private lessons to better his education. Following the momentum of his business success, Morgan's patented sewing machine would soon pave the way to his financial freedom. In 1914, Morgan patented a breathing device or a "safety hood", providing wearers with a safer breathing experience in the presence of smoke, gas, or other harmful pollutants. Morgan worked very hard to patent the device, especially to fire departments, often personally demonstrating it's reliability in fires. Morgan's invention became the prototype to the gas mask used in WWI, protecting the soldiers from toxic gases used during warfare. His invention earned him first prize at the Second International Exposition of Safety & Sanitation in New York City. There was so much resistance to Morgan's devices, particularly in the South, where racial tension remained palpable despite the advancements in African American rights. In efforts to counteract the resistance to his products, Morgan hired a white actor to pose as "the inventor" during presentations of his breathing devices; Morgan would pose as the inventor's sidekick, disguised as a Native American man named "Big Chief Mason,". The tactic was a success; sales of the device were brisk, especially from fire fighters and reduce workers.
In 1916, the city of Cleveland was drilling a new tunnel under Lake Erie for a fresh water supply. Works hit a pocket of natural gas, which resulted in a huge explosion and trapped workers underground amidst suffocating noxious fumes and dust. When Morgan Heard about the explosion, he and his brother put on breathing devices, made there way to the tunnel and entered as quickly as possible, The brothers managed to save two lives and recover four bodies before the rescue effort was shut down. Despite his heroic efforts, the publicity that Morgan garnered from the incident hurt sales; the public was now fully aware that Morgan was an African American and many refused to purchase products. Adding to the detriment, neither the inventor or his brother were fully recognized for their heroic efforts on Lake Erie. - Another effect of racial discrimination.
While the lack of public acknowledgment for Morgan and his brother's roles at the explosion was undoubtedly disheartening, Morgan was a voracious inventor and observer who focused on fixing problems, and soon turned his attention to all kinds of things, from hats to belt fasteners to car parts.
The first black man to own a car, Morgan worked on his mechanical skills and developed a friction drive clutch. Then, in 1923 he created a new kind of traffic signal, one with a warning light to alert drivers that they would need to stop, after witnessing a carriage accident and a particularly problematic intersection in the city. Morgan quickly acquired patents for his traffic signal, a version of the modern day three-way traffic light in the U.S , Britain and Canada, but eventually sold the right to General Electric for $40,000.
Outside his inventing career, Morgan diligently supported the African American community throughout his lifetime. He was a member of the newly formed National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was active in the Cleveland Association of Colored men, donated to Negro colleges and opened an all black country club. Additionally, in 1920, he launched the African- American newspaper called the Cleveland Call (later named the Call & Post).
In 1943, Morgan began developing glaucoma, he lost his sight as a result. The accomplished inventor died in Cleveland, Ohio on August 27, 1963, one month before the anniversary reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, an event that he had been looking forward to. Just before his death, Morgan was honored by the U.S. Government for his traffic signal and as a hero of the Lake Erie rescue. Morgan's improved and saved countless lives worldwide, including those fire fighters, soldiers, and vehicle operators, with his profound inventions. His work provided the blueprint for many important advancements that came later, and continues to inspire and serve as a basis for research conducted by modern-day inventors and engineers.
