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Lewis Howard Latimer
Born: September 4, 1848
Died: December 11, 1928
Birthplace: Chelsea, Massachusetts
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Lewis Howard Latimer is considered a
"Renaissance man," because of his prowess as an
inventor-engineer, both electrical and mechanical, as well as
for his talents as a poet, playwright and visual artist. It
was Latimer’s work that helped to make possible the
widespread use of electric lights -- quite an accomplishment
for this son of runaway slaves.
Lewis Latimer was
born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on September 4, 1848, six
years after his parents, George and Rebecca Latimer, ran away
from slavery in Virginia, determined that their children were
to be born on free soil. Because of his light complexion,
George was able to pose as a plantation owner with the
darker-skinned Rebecca as his slave. However, shortly after
arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, he was recognized as a
fugitive and jailed while his wife was taken to a safe hiding
place. The arrest was protested vigorously by the community,
most notably by Frederick Douglass, and abolitionist William
Lloyd Garrison, who spoke forcefully on George’s behalf. The
trial and the attempts to recapture George and return him to
Virginia caused considerable agitation in Boston. Though when
the trial judge ruled that Latimer still belonged to his
Virginia owner, it was an African American minister who paid
$400 for his release. As a freeman, George worked as a barber,
paper-hanger and other odd jobs to support his wife, three
sons, and one daughter.
Lewis Latimer, the
youngest child, attended grammar school and was an excellent
student who loved to read and draw. Most of his time, though,
was spent working with his father, which was typical of
children in the 19th century. In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled
that a slave named Dred Scott could not be considered a free
man although he had lived in a free state. George Latimer
disappeared shortly after the decision became known. Because
he had no official papers to prove he was a free man, he
possibly feared for his safety and that of his family.
Lewis the Draftsman
With his father gone and his mother struggling to keep the
family together, Lewis joined the U.S. Navy in 1864 when he
was sixteen years old. When the Civil War ended Latimer was
honorably discharged. He returned to Boston where he secured a
job as an office boy in the Crosby and Gould patent law firm,
a company that specialized in helping inventors protect their
patents. By closely observing draftsmen at work and reading
books on the subject, Latimer taught himself mechanical
drawing. He learned to skillfully use the vital tools of the
trade, such as T squares, triangles, compasses, and rulers,
and mastered the art of drawing to scale. Since all of the
drawings were done by hand and in ink, it was very important
that a draftsman not make mistakes. Latimer's drawings in this
medium were as beautiful as works of art. After several months
of studying and hard work, Latimer was promoted from office
boy, earning a salary of $3.00 per week, to draftsman at
$20.00.
Alexander Graham Bell "calls" on
Latimer
In the period immediately following the Civil War,
important scientific advances occurred in America. There was
an explosion of inventions and new uses of technology, and
inventors were securing thousands of patents in growing
industries. While working at the Boston firm, Latimer met
Alexander Graham Bell who hired him to draw the plans for a
new invention, the telephone. Bell was in a race to have his
invention patented before anyone else registered a similar
device. By working with him late at night, Latimer was able to
provide Bell with the blueprints and expertise in submitting
applications that allowed him to file his telephone patent on
February 14, 1876, just hours earlier than that of a rival
inventor.
The Maxim Man
In 1880 Latimer began work as a mechanical draftsman for Hiram
Maxim, an inventor and founder of the U.S. Electric Lighting
Company in Brooklyn, N.Y. In his new job, Latimer became
familiar with the field of electric incandescent lighting, an
area in which there was fierce competition to secure patents.
In addition to his work with light bulbs and lamps, he went to
U.S. cities and abroad supervising installation and production
of Maxim equipment.
One of "Edison’s Pioneers"
In 1884 he was
invited to work for Maxim's arch rival, Thomas Alva Edison, in
New York. An expert electrical engineer, Latimer's work for
Edison was critical for the following reasons: his thorough
knowledge of electric lighting and power guided Edison through
the process of filing patent forms properly at the U.S. Patent
Office, protecting the company from infringements of his
inventions; Latimer was also in charge of the company library,
collecting information from around the world, translating data
in French and German to protect the company from European
challenges. He became Edison's patent investigator and expert
witness in cases against persons trying to benefit from
Edison's inventions without legal permission.
Edison encouraged
Latimer to write the book, Incandescent Electric Lighting: A
Practical Description of the Edison System. Published in 1890,
it was extremely popular as it explained how an incandescent
lamp produces light in an easy-to-understand manner (making
Latimer one of the first "technical writers."). On
February 11, 1918, Latimer became one of the 28 charter
members of the Edison Pioneers, the only African American in
this prestigious, highly selective group. .
Renaissance Man
After leaving Edison's employ, Latimer worked for a patent
consultant firm until 1922 when failing eyesight caused an end
to his career. His health began to fail following the death of
his beloved wife Mary Wilson Latimer in 1924. To cheer and
encourage him to carry on, his children, two daughters, had a
book of his poems printed in 1925 in honor of his 77th
birthday. The poems are beautifully sensitive, and complement
Latimer's designation as a "Renaissance Man" who
painted, played the flute, wrote poetry and plays.
Active in the
Unitarian Church, Latimer also found time to teach mechanical
engineering, drawing and English to new immigrants at the
Henry Street Settlement House. He had remained extremely
patriotic, participating as an officer of the famed Civil War
Veterans' organization, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).
In addition, he condoned and participated in civil rights
activities of his era. On December 11, 1928, Lewis Howard
Latimer died, leaving a remarkable legacy. His name will be
forever associated with two of the most revolutionary
inventions of all time: the incandescent electric light bulb
and the telephone.
Patents
Issued:
Process
of manufacturing carbons
Patent No. 252,386
Date: Tuesday, January 17, 1882
Apparatus for cooling and disinfecting
Patent No. 334,078
Date: Tuesday, January 12, 1886
Locking rack for hats, coats, and umbrellas
Patent No. 557, 076
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 1896
Lamp fixture
Patent No. 968,787
Date: Tuesday, August 30, 1910 Latimer, Lewis Howard and
Brown, Charles W.
Water closets (toilets) for railway cars
Patent No. 147,363
Date: Tuesday, February 10, 1874
Latimer, Lewis Howard and Nichols, Joseph V.
Electric lamp
Patent No. 247,097
Date: Tuesday, September 13, 1881
Latimer, Lewis Howard and Tregoning, John
Globe supporter for electric lamps
Patent No. 255,212
Date: Tuesday, March 21, 1882
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