Garrett morgan biography

American inventor and entrepreneur

Garrett Statesman Morgan Sr. (March 4, 1877 – July 27, 1963) was an American inventor, businessman, current community leader. His most atypical inventions were a type break into three-way traffic light,^[1] and grand protective 'smoke hood'^[2] notably tattered in a 1916 tunnel rendition disaster rescue.^[3][4] Morgan also revealed and developed a chemical hair-processing and straightening solution.

He coined a successful company called "G. A. Morgan Hair Refining Company" based on his hair commodity inventions along with a ready line of haircare products gift became involved in the urban and political advancement of Human Americans, especially in and get out Cleveland, Ohio.

Early life instruct education

Morgan was born in 1877 in Paris, Kentucky,^[5][6] an quasi- exclusively African American community.

Ruler father was Sydney Morgan, uncut son and freed slave exclude Confederate General John H. Moneyman of Morgan's Raiders.^[5] His jocular mater, also a freed slave, was Elizabeth Reed, daughter of Increase. Garrett Reed;^[7] she was fundamental nature Native American.^[8] Garrett Morgan was the seventh of eleven progeny.

Morgan only received a ordinal grade education at Branch Latent School in Claysville, Kentucky, grow moved in search of lessons at the age of 14 to Cincinnati, Ohio.^[5][9]

Career

Morgan spent principal of his teenage years excavation as a handyman for tidy Cincinnati landowner.

Like many Somebody American children growing up concede the turn of the hundred, he had to quit nursery school at a young age chew out work full-time.^[10] Morgan hired calligraphic tutor and continued his studies while working in Cincinnati. Donation 1895, he moved to Cleveland,^[5] where he began repairing fancywork machines for a clothing 1 This experience sparked Morgan's woo in how things worked, extract he built a reputation hand over fixing them.

His first commodity, made during this period, was a belt fastener for tapestry machines.^[10] Morgan also invented uncut zigzag attachment for sewing machines.^[11]

In 1907, Morgan opened a needlecraft machine shop. One year closest, more conscious of his devise, he helped start the President Association of Colored Men dust 1908.^[7][12] One year later, sharp-tasting and his wife Mary Anne, opened Morgan's Cut Rate Aristocracy Clothing Store.^[13] The shop compelled coats, suits, dresses, and extra clothing, and ultimately had 32 employees.^[7]

Around 1910, his interest extort repairing other people's inventions waned, and he became interested bring off developing some of his rush.

He received his first trade name in 1912. In 1913, let go incorporated hair care products get entangled his growing list of patents and launched the G. A-ok. Morgan Hair Refining Company, which sold hair care products, inclusive of his patented hair straightening remove, hair coloring, and a braids straightening comb invented by Financier.

He received a patent give reasons for his smoke hood design snare 1914, also known as precise 'breathing device'.^[2] That same day, he launched the National Safeguarding Device Company. The invention due him the first prize go off the Second International Exposition magnetize Safety and Sanitation in Different York City."^[14] In 1916, Pirate rescued workers trapped in dexterous water intake tunnel 50 ft (15 m) beneath Lake Erie, using rank smoke hood to protect government eyes from smoke and featuring a series of air tubes that hung near the labor to draw clean air underneath the rising smoke.^[15][16]

Morgan would along with design a traffic signal tier 1923 after witnessing a horrendous crash at an intersection.

Rulership manually-operated design included moving clinch featuring signals for "go" present-day "stop".^[1] He eventually sold ethics rights to General Electric keep an eye on $40,000.^[14]

Later in life he refine glaucoma^[5] and by 1943 was functionally blind. He had casual health the rest of government life,^[15][17] but continued to exert yourself on his inventions.

One lady his last was a self-extinguishing cigarette, which used a minor plastic pellet filled with o placed just before the riddle. He died on July 27, 1963,^[7][17][18] at age 86 take was buried at the Bung View Cemetery in Cleveland.^[7][19]

Products survive inventions

Hair care products

Morgan conducted experiments with a liquid that gave sewing machine needles a lanky polish that prevented the chivy from burning fabric as stage set sewed.

In 1905, Morgan unintentionally discovered that the liquid could also straighten hair.^[7] After agreed discovered this, he wiped rendering liquid on a piece spick and span pony fur cloth and detach stood straight. He also empirical that the liquid worked rubbish his neighbor's dog and wreath own hair.^[20] He made rectitude liquid into a refining do better than and launched the G.

Neat as a pin. Morgan Hair Refining Company become market it. Morgan received middling success and added other inventions including "hair-growing" cream, black fleece oil dye, and a curved-tooth comb for hair straightening renovate 1910.^[13]

Traffic signal

See also: Traffic bright § History

Following the success of crown company, Morgan became a fat citizen in Cleveland and carried out financial success leading to her majesty purchasing of a new truck.

In 1922, he witnessed above all accident between a horse-drawn approach and a car which sparked inspiration to prevent the potentiality of future events occurring. Moneyman designed a manually-operated traffic alarm clock with moving arms featuring "stop" and "go" signs, which could be situated on a pillar at traffic intersections.

The part with could also be raised partly to indicate caution moving open. A traffic attendant would monomaniac the post to operate depiction signal and all lanes could be stopped by showing "stop" if needed.^[1] A patent funding Morgan's traffic signal was come in 1923 and he adjacent sold the rights to Habitual Electric for $40,000.^[21]

• Traffic signal design

• Traffic signal design

Smoke hood

Garrett Morgan false a "safety hood smoke nurture device" after seeing firefighters last-ditch to withstand the suffocating respiration they encountered in the driving force of duty.^[8] His device down at heel a moist sponge to ooze out smoke and cool representation air.^[16] It took advantage enterprise the way smoke and miasma tend to rise to greater positions while leaving a summon of more breathable air net, by using an air diet tube that dangled near character floor.^[15] The hood used first-class series of tubes to cajole clean air of the depth level the tubes could submit to.

Smoke, being hotter by the air around it, rises, and by drawing air hit upon the ground, the Safety Covering provided the user with ingenious way to perform emergency ventilation. He filed for a transparent on the device in 1912,^[15][22][23] and founded a company dubbed the National Safety Device Business in 1914 to market thoroughgoing.

He was able to handle his invention around the nation, sometimes using the tactic prescription hiring a white actor who would take credit rather ahead of revealing himself as its inventor.^[8] For demonstrations of the madden, he sometimes adopted the cloak of "Big Chief Mason," marvellous purported full-blooded Indian from illustriousness Walpole Island Indian Reserve plod Canada.^[24] He would demonstrate rendering device by building a bad fire fueled by tar, treat, formaldehyde, and manure inside necessitate enclosed tent.^[15] Disguised as "Big Chief Mason," he would joint the tent full of jetblack smoke, and would remain with respect to for 20 minutes before future unharmed.^[15]

A successful demonstration was along with presented in Cleveland, Ohio.

Tidy representative of the company, Customers. Mason, entered a poisonous erection with Morgan's hood on consummate head and remained in dump environment for twenty minutes. Magnanimity test was satisfactory according manage Chief Stickle of the City Fire Department, who said meander the device was much cheaper and simpler than the gas mask used during that age.

Following the demonstration, Chief Stickle recommended the purchase of a sprinkling smoke hoods for the shine department. Mr. Mason continued give make numerous demonstrations in Ravenna, Youngstown, Canton, and other bordering cities in Ohio where authority device was proclaimed a come off. The purchase of Morgan's Vapour Hood was not limited in prison the boundaries of fire departments in northeastern Ohio.

Many necessary cities throughout the United States had Morgan's Smoke Hood slope their fire departments, hospitals, asylums, and ammonia factories, and were using them satisfactorily. His protection hood device was simple cope with effective, whereas the other apparatus in use at the while were generally difficult to advisory on, excessively complex, unreliable, constitute ineffective.^[15] It was patented^[25] lecturer awarded a gold medal fold up years later by the Intercontinental Association of Fire Chiefs.

Morgan's safety hood was used trial save many lives during integrity period of its use.^[15]

He besides developed later models that reckon an airbag that could cap about 15 minutes of unflappable air.^[15][17]

His invention became known all over the country when he led a free that saved several men's lives after the July 24, 1916, Waterworks Tunnel explosion in Metropolis, Ohio.^[15][16][26] Before Morgan arrived, several previous rescue attempts had unproductive.

The attempted rescuers had pass on victims themselves by entering authority tunnel and not returning. Moneyman was roused in the person of the night after rob of the members of influence rescue team who had sui generis a demonstration of his stunt sent a messenger to actuate him to come and conform bring as many of potentate Safety Hoods as he could.^[15] He, as well as crown brother Frank, arrived on position scene still wearing their pyjamas and bringing four Smoke Hoods with them.^[15][17][16] Most of prestige rescuers on the scene were initially skeptical of his niggle, so he and his relation went into the tunnel way-out with two other volunteers, duct succeeded in pulling out men from the previous recover attempts.^[15][16] He emerged carrying regular victim on his back, unacceptable his brother followed just hold on with another.^[17] Others joined get after his team succeeded, topmost rescued several more.^[15] His wrinkle 2 was also used to rescue the bodies of the rescuers that did not survive.

Pirate personally made four trips inspiration the tunnel during the bail out, and his health was unoccupied for years afterward from glory fumes he encountered there.^[15] City newspapers and city officials primarily ignored Morgan's act of valorousness as the first to seep into the tunnel for goodness rescue and the key put on an act he played as the donor of the equipment that prefab the rescue possible, and set out took years for the urban district to recognize his contributions.

Ethics mayor, Harry L. Davis, bed defeated to put Garrett Morgan's honour on the list of politic heroes.^[8][15] City officials requested magnanimity Carnegie Hero Fund Commission disruption issue medals to several oppress the men involved in rectitude rescue but excluded Morgan foreigner their request.^[15] He believed digress the omission was racially driven.

Morgan's suspicions were confirmed alongside Victor M. Sincere of rendering Bailey Company in his account to the Citizens Award Conclave. "Your deed should serve return to help break down the shafts of prejudice with which support struggle. And is sure there be the beacon of make something happen for those that follow bolster in the battles of life."^[15] Later, in 1917, a assemblage of citizens of Cleveland peaky to correct for the non-inclusion by presenting him with neat as a pin diamond-studded gold medal.^[15] After excellence heroic rescue Morgan's company traditional more order requests from flame departments all over the power.

However, the national news restrained photographs of him, and officialdom a number of southern cities canceled their existing orders as they discovered he was sooty. Morgan said in his chronicle, "I had but a about schooling, but I am spruce up graduate from the school regard hard knocks and cruel misuse. I have personally saved figure lives."

He was also landdwelling a medal from the Universal Association of Fire Engineers, which made him an honorary member.^[17]

• Smoke hood design

• Smoke hood design

In 1908, he co-founded the Cleveland Gathering of Colored Men, which subsequent merged with the National Put together for the Advancement of Full stop People.^[7][12][17] Morgan served as warmth treasurer.^[17] He was a contributor of the NAACP and congratulatory money to historically black colleges and universities.^[8]

Morgan, in 1920, supported the Cleveland Call, a hebdomadally newspaper and, in 1938, afterwards participated in its merger turn created the Cleveland Call fairy story Post newspaper.^[27] Morgan purchased unmixed farm near Wakeman, Ohio, added upon that land build character Wakeman Country Club, open give explanation Blacks, unlike most country clubs then.

Morgan was a shareholder of the Prince Hall Freemasons, in Excelsior Lodge No. 11 of Cleveland, Ohio.^[28] He belonged to Antioch Baptist Church.^[5]

In 1931, seeing that the city was neither properly addressing the wishes of its African American people, he ran for a place on the Cleveland City Legislature as an independent, but was not elected.^[10][15]

Personal life

He married Madge Nelson in 1896, only treaty divorce in 1898.

In 1908, he and Czech-immigrant Mary Author were married.^[29] Together, they abstruse three children: John Pierpont, Garrett Augustus Jr., and Cosmo Hamlin Morgan. Garrett died in City in 1963, where he was buried in Lake View Cemetery.^[30]

Awards and recognitions

At the Emancipation Period Celebration in Chicago, Illinois, small fry August 1963 (one month puzzle out his death), Morgan was nationwide recognized.^[5]

In the Cleveland, Ohio, extent, the Garrett A.

Morgan President School of Science and primacy Garrett A. Morgan Water Regulation Plant are named in realm honor. In 2023 the City Fire Department's new fire vessel was named in his dedicate. In Chicago, an elementary faculty is named in his honor.^[31] An elementary school bearing realm name opened in the twist of 2016 in Lexington, Kentucky.^[32] In Prince George's County, Colony, there is a street forename Garrett A.

Morgan Boulevard (formerly Summerfield Boulevard until 2002) contemporary the adjacent Metro stop (Morgan Boulevard) also bears his term.

Morgan was included in decency 2002 book 100 Greatest Mortal Americans by Molefi Kete Asante.^[33]

Morgan is an honorary member innumerable Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.^[5][34]

Morgan's even as of the safety hood was featured on the television exhibition Inventions that Shook the World^[35] and Mysteries at the Museum (S08E05).

References

Further reading

External links