Lewis Latimer

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

Links:

• Lewis Latimer by Donegal Middle School
• Lewis Latimer and his achievements
• Lewis Latimer: patents and other books
• African American Inventors Database

 Back to "The Real Side"

Mae C. Jemison Astronaut, Physician Born: October 17, 1956 Birthplace: Decatur, Alabama

It's easy to see how Komo could confuse Mae C. Jemison up with Imhotep. The multi-talented, multi-disciplined (medicine, aeronautics, history, chemical engineering) Dr. Jemison also just happens to be the first African American woman to go into space when she blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavor, September 12, 1992.

Mae C. Jemison served as mission specialist on STS-47 (Endeavor) in 1992. Astronauts on this cooperative mission between the United States and Japan conducted experiments in life sciences and materials processing. Dr. Jemison served as a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut for six years. As the science mission specialist on the STS-47 Spacelab J flight, a US/Japan joint mission, she conducted experiments in life sciences, material sciences, and was a co-investigator of the Bone Cell Research experiment. Dr. Jemison resigned from NASA in March, 1993.

Growing Up
Mae C. Jemison was born the youngest of three children of Charlie and Dorothy Jemison, a maintenance worker and schoolteacher. Raised in Chicago, Illinois, she graduated from Morgan Park High School in 1973. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University in 1977, while also fulfilling the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in African-American Studies. She attended medical school and received a Doctor of Medicine degree from Cornell University in 1981.

The Peace Corps
After medical school, Dr. Jemison served in the Peace Corps, from January 1983 to June 1985. She was stationed in Sierra Leone and Liberia, West Africa as the area Peace Corps medical officer. There she supervised the pharmacy, laboratory, medical staff. She provided medical care, wrote self-care manuals, developed and implemented guidelines for health and safety issues, and worked with the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Dr. Jemison
Prior to joining NASA in 1987, Dr. Jemison worked in both engineering and medicine. She was a General Practitioner in Los Angeles with the INA/Ross Loos Medical Group. She then spent two and a half years (1983-85) as Area Peace Corps medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa. On her return to Los Angeles, she worked as a GP with CIGNA Health Plans for California, while updating her engineering skills.

Honors, Awards and Post NASA
Dr. Jemison has earned numerous honors and awards including induction into the Women´s Hall of Fame; selection as one of the People magazines´ 1993 "World´s 50 Most Beautiful People" Johnson Publications Black Achievement Trailblazers Award; the Kilby Science Award; selection as a Montgomery Fellow, Dartmouth College; and a number of honorary doctorates. Dr. Jemison has presented at the UN on the uses of space technology, appeared weekly as the host and technical consultant of the "World of Wonder" series on the Discovery Channel in 1994-95, appeared in an episode of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, and was the subject of the PBS documentary THE NEW EXPLORERS.

She is on the Board of Directors of Scholastic, Inc., The Aspen Institute and Spelman College, is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a member of the Association of Space Explorers, and has an alternative public school in Detroit named after her. A noted lecturer, Dr. Jemison speaks nationally and internationally on topics such as science literacy, the need for increased women and minority participation in math and sciences, education, achieving excellence and investing in the present to secure the future.

Dr. Jemison Today
Dr. Jemison focuses on the beneficial integration of science and technology into our everyday lives - culture, health, environment and education - for all on this planet. To pursue these ideas, she formed The Jemison Group, Inc. Current Company projects include: Alafiyaª a satellite based telecommunication system to facilitate health care delivery in West Africa and The Earth We Shareª, an international science camp for students, ages 12-16, that utilizes an experiential curriculum. Although she was born in Decatur, Alabama, Dr. Jemison calls Chicago, Illinois, her hometown. She is currently resides in Houston, Texas with her cats Sneeze, Mac and Little Mama.

Back to "The Real Side"

Benjamin Banneker

The son of Robert and Mary Bannaky, Benjamin Banneker was born in 1731. His grandfather was a slave from Africa and his grandmother, an indentured servant from England. His grandfather was known as Banna Ka, then later as Bannaky, his grandmother as Molly Walsh. His grandmother was a maid in England who had been sent to Maryland as an indentured servant. When she finished her seven years of bondage, she bought a farm along with two slaves to help her take care of it. Walsh freed both slaves and married one, Bannaky. They had several children, among them a daughter named Mary. When Mary Bannaky grew up, she bought a slave named Robert, married him and had several children, including Benjamin.

Bannaky Springs
Benjamin Banneker grew up on the family farm, known as "Bannaky Springs" due to the fresh water springs on the land. Robert Bannaky used ditches and little dams to control the water from the springs for irrigation. Benjamin’s father’s work was so reliable that the Bannaky's crops flourished even in dry spells. This family of free blacks raised good tobacco crops all the time.

Molly, Banneker's grandmother, taught him and his brothers to read, using her Bible as a lesson book. There was no school in the valley for the boys to attend. Then one summer, a Quaker school teacher came to live in the valley. He set up a school for boys. Benjamin Bannaky attended this school. The schoolmaster changed the spelling of his name to Banneker. At school he learned to write and do simple arithmetic.

A Fascination With Time
When Banneker was twenty-one, a remarkable thing happened: he saw a patent watch. The watch belonged to a man named Josef Levi. Having never seen anything like it before, Banneker was absolutely fascinated with the watch. Levi gave Banneker his watch. This was to change his life. Banneker took the watch apart to see how it worked. The industrious youth then carved similar watch pieces out of wood and made a clock of his own; the first striking clock to be made completely in America. Banneker's clock was so precise it struck every hour, on the hour, for forty years. His work on the clock led him to repair watches, clocks and sundials. Banneker even helped Joseph Ellicott build a complex clock. Banneker became close friends with the Ellicott brothers, who lent him books on astronomy and mathematics as well as instruments for observing the stars. Banneker taught himself astronomy and advanced mathematics.

Banneker’s "Work Cabin" Observatory
Banneker's parents died, leaving him the farm since his two sisters had married and moved away. Banneker built himself a rough version of an observatory, a "work cabin" with a skylight to study the stars and make calculations. Working largely alone, with few visitors, he compiled results which he published in his Almanac.

Designing Washington, DC
Around this time, Major Andrew Ellicott, George Ellicott's cousin, asked Banneker to help him survey the "Federal Territory". Banneker and Ellicott worked closely with Pierre L'Enfant who was the architect in charge of planning Washington D.C. L'Enfant was suddenly dismissed from the project, due to his temper. When he left, he took the plans with him. Banneker recreated the plans from memory, saving the U.S. government the effort and expense of having someone else design the capita.

Although Banneker studied and recorded his results until he died, he stopped publishing his Almanac due to poor sales. Banneker died on Sunday, October 26, 1806.

Benjamin Banneker Links:

• Benjamin Banneker
  Brief description of Benjamin Banneker’s life and achievements.
• Who is Benjamin Banneker?
  Biographical background from the Banneker Center for Economic Justice.
• Benjamin Banneker: The First African American Inventor
  Brief description/biography of Benjamin Banneker’s life and achievements from Invention Dimension, hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• The Benjamin Banneker Association, Inc.
• Black History Month: Benjamin Banneker
• Benjamin Banneker to the Secretary of State
  About the electronic version copy of a letter from Benjamin Banneker to the secretary of state, with his answer.
• Benjamin Banneker

Back to "The Real Side"