Lewis latimore biography

Lewis Latimer died on December 11, and left behind a legacy of achievement and leadership that much of the world owes thanks. Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, mixed it, put it on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out. I tried it on my friends; it helped them.

I made up my mind I would begin to sell it. Lewis Latimer. An African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist.

Lewis latimore biography

She founded a hair and beauty supply company aimed at Black consumers and was heralded by the the Guinness Book of World Records as the first female self-made millionaire in America. Massasoit gunboat and received an honorable discharge on July 3, In addition to his newfound success, Latimer found additional happiness when he married Mary Wilson in November of Percy Julian A pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants, including a synthetic form of cortisone.

Garrett Morgan Invented a three-position traffic signal and an early version of a gas mask. Charles Drew A pioneer in the field of blood transfusions who developed improved techniques for blood storage. Elijah McCoy Invented lubrication systems for steam engines. Daniel Hale Williams A surgeon who performed what is considered the first successful heart surgery.

Videos About Lewis Latimer. Inventor and engineer Lewis Howard Latimer was born to parents who had fled slavery. Latimer learned the art of mechanical drawing while working at a patent firm. Over the course of his career as a draftsman, Latimer worked closely with Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell , in addition to designing his own inventions.

Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on September 4, Latimer was the youngest of four children born to George and Rebecca Latimer, who had escaped from slavery in Virginia six years before his birth. He was eventually able to purchase his freedom, with the help of a local minister, and began raising a family with Rebecca in nearby Chelsea.

George disappeared shortly after the Dred Scott decision in , possibly fearing a return to slavery and the South. After his father's departure, Latimer worked to help support his mother and family. In , at the age of 16, Latimer lied about his age in order to enlist in the United States Navy during the Civil War. Returning to Boston after an honorable discharge, he accepted a menial position at the Crosby and Gould patent law office.

Writing and other activities [ edit ]. Teaching [ edit ]. Other activities [ edit ]. Death and legacy [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Woods, Lewis H. Latimer, and Shelby J. ISBN Retrieved October 16, Black History Now. September 17, Retrieved October 15, A Biography of Lewis Latimer. Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.

Retrieved November 6, New York: Skyhorse Publications. Retrieved November 16, Retrieved March 15, Retrieved December 11, Latimer House" PDF. Landmarks Preservation Commission. National Park Service. Retrieved June 10, Patent , Process Of Manufacturing Carbons. John White , Field, C. Retrieved Latimer: The carbon-filament light bulb". MIT bio.

ISBN X. Even though there was a large public outcry in support of George, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that he must be returned to his owner. After this tragic defeat, George's supporters met with Gray and offered to buy his slave. Gray agreed and George became a free man in late After gaining his freedom, George and Rebecca settled in Chelsea, Massachusetts and started a family.

Young Lewis Latimer attended Phillips Grammar School in Chelsea, where he showed much promise in the fields of mathematics and drafting. Because the family often needed money, Latimer sometimes left school to work with his father. In , Latimer's father left the family and his mother found work aboard a ship. With no parents at home, Latimer was sent to Farm School.

His two older brothers attended the state-run school where students were taught vocational skills such as farming. Latimer quickly made plans with one of his older brothers, William, to escape to Boston, where they both hoped to find work. After reaching Boston, the two boys discovered that their mother had returned home. Although he was reunited with his family, Latimer had to find work to help support himself, his mother, and his brother.

Finding only opportunities in manual labor, Latimer searched for a job that would allow him to grow intellectually. He finally secured a job with a law firm and was quite happy. Unfortunately, the start of the American Civil War interrupted his career. The Civil War began on April 16, , and Latimer left his position with the law firm to join the Union effort.

At the young age of 16, Latimer served onboard a gun-ship that protected Union shipping traffic on the eastern seaboard. Four years later, at the end of the war, Latimer was honorably discharged from the service. Even with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U. Constitution, which prohibited slavery anywhere in the country, Latimer found it difficult to obtain a position that would offer him the opportunities and mental challenges that he sought.

He applied for and received work in the office of Crosby and Gould, a patent law firm. While he did menial tasks at first, Latimer studied the technical patent drawings made by the men who worked as draftsmen. Drawings of inventions were needed before patent applications were submitted to the U. Patent Office. Upon confirmation of the invention, patents were issued to the inventor; the drawing protected his invention from counterfeiters who hoped to make money from someone else's hard work.

While draftsmen usually obtained their skills from schooling, Latimer was never offered that opportunity. Instead, he created his own. With used drafting tools and books, Latimer studied at night and during the day he carefully watched as draftsmen created technical drawings. After much studying, Latimer presented his work to one of his bosses, who was impressed with his talent and offered him a job as a draftsman.

Eventually, Latimer was promoted to the chief draftsman position and remained with the firm for eleven years. Latimer married Mary Wilson on December 10, It was a happy time for the young couple, as Latimer found success in his work and personal life. While still working for Crosby and Gould, he began to tinker with his own inventions. In , Latimer received a patent for improving the mechanics of toilets, then known as water closets, on railway cars.

It was at this time that Latimer met and began working with the inventor, Alexander Graham Bell. Bell was trying to change human voices into electrical pulses that could be sent over wires. His work would eventually lead to the invention of the telephone. Because Bell's work was so intensive, he found it difficult to keep up his technical drawing submissions to the U.

He went to Crosby and Gould and met Latimer, who completed the complicated drawing for Bell and sent them quickly to the Patent Office. Latimer's talent and speed paid off for Bell, who was granted a patent for the telephone on March 7, In , Crosby and Gould closed their offices and Latimer found himself without a job. On the advice of his sister, Latimer and his wife moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, in search of employment opportunities.

Latimer obtained a position as a draftsman at the Follandsbee Machine Shop. While working there he met Hiram Maxim, an inventor who developing an improved light bulb. Thomas Edison had just received the patent for the light bulb, but there was a flaw. It could only emit light for a few hours before it burned out. Maxim was interested in improving the life of the light bulb and recognized that, with Latimer's help, he would be in a better position to do just that.