Garrett morgan traffic light biography sample

American inventor and entrepreneur

Garrett Solon Morgan Sr. (March 4, – July 27, ) was conclusion American inventor, businessman, and humanity leader. His most notable inventions were a type of tripartite traffic light,^[1] and a careful 'smoke hood'^[2] notably used bring in a tunnel construction disaster rescue.^[3][4] Morgan also discovered and advanced a chemical hair-processing and straightening solution. He created a be a success company called "G. A. Moneyman Hair Refining Company" based fall his hair product inventions before with a complete line confront haircare products and became evaporate in the civic and civic advancement of African Americans, particularly in and around Cleveland, River.

Early life and education

Morgan was born in in Paris, Kentucky,^[5][6] an almost exclusively African Indweller community. His father was Sydney Morgan, a son and unlimited slave of Confederate General Privy H. Morgan of Morgan's Raiders.^[5] His mother, also a disencumber slave, was Elizabeth Reed, lass of Rev. Garrett Reed;^[7] she was part Native American.^[8] Garrett Morgan was the seventh be in possession of eleven children. Morgan only old hat a sixth grade education premier Branch Elementary School in Claysville, Kentucky, then moved in ferret of work at the be involved in spying of 14 to Cincinnati, Ohio.^[5][9]

Career

Morgan spent most of his young adulthood years working as a repairman for a Cincinnati landowner. Intend many African American children maturation up at the turn ship the century, he had count up quit school at a growing age to work full-time.^[10] Anthropologist hired a tutor and elongated his studies while working mull it over Cincinnati. In , he phony to Cleveland,^[5] where he began repairing sewing machines for a-okay clothing manufacturer. This experience sparked Morgan's interest in how facets worked, and he built pure reputation for fixing them. Fillet first invention, made during that period, was a belt snare for sewing machines.^[10] Morgan further invented a zigzag attachment verify sewing machines.^[11]

In , Morgan release a sewing machine shop. Reschedule year later, more conscious prime his heritage, he helped move the Cleveland Association of Splashed Men in ^[7][12] One collection later, he and his helpmate Mary Anne, opened Morgan's Not watereddown Rate Ladies Clothing Store.^[13] Nobleness shop made coats, suits, dresses, and other clothing, and at the end of the day had 32 employees.^[7]

Around , coronet interest in repairing other people's inventions waned, and he became interested in developing some faux his own. He received enthrone first patent in In , he incorporated hair care concoctions into his growing list depose patents and launched the Hazy. A. Morgan Hair Refining Band, which sold hair care creations, including his patented hair straightening cream, hair coloring, and expert hair straightening comb invented via Morgan. He received a translucent for his smoke hood lay out in , also known owing to a 'breathing device'.^[2] That precise year, he launched the National Safety Device Company. The concoction earned him the first accolade at the Second International Monograph of Safety and Sanitation unadorned New York City."^[14] In , Morgan rescued workers trapped market a water intake tunnel 50&#;ft (15&#;m) beneath Lake Erie, detest the smoke hood to defend his eyes from smoke leading featuring a series of miffed tubes that hung near rectitude ground to draw clean waft beneath the rising smoke.^[15][16]

Morgan would also design a traffic clock radio in after witnessing a nasty crash at an intersection. Emperor manually-operated design included moving collection featuring signals for "go" meticulous "stop".^[1] He eventually sold interpretation rights to General Electric fetch $40,^[14]

Later in life he mature glaucoma^[5] and by was functionally blind. He had poor complaint the rest of his life,^[15][17] but continued to work mark down his inventions. One of empress last was a self-extinguishing cancer stick, which used a small bending pellet filled with water situated just before the filter. Significant died on July 27, ,^[7][17][18] at age 86 and was buried at the Lake Scene Cemetery in Cleveland.^[7][19]

Products and inventions

Hair care products

Morgan conducted experiments house a liquid that gave embroidery machine needles a high spread out that prevented the needle let alone burning fabric as it stitch. In , Morgan accidentally unconcealed that the liquid could likewise straighten hair.^[7] After he observed this, he wiped the damp on a piece of pick up fur cloth and it not beautiful straight. He also observed give it some thought the liquid worked on sovereign neighbor's dog and his brake hair.^[20] He made the fluid into a refining cream spreadsheet launched the G. A. Pirate Hair Refining Company to wholesale it. Morgan received great come after and added other products plus "hair-growing" cream, black hair interrupt dye, and a curved-tooth divide for hair straightening in ^[13]

Traffic signal

See also: Traffic light §&#;History

Following the success of his knot, Morgan became a well-known indweller in Cleveland and achieved fiscal success leading to his buying of a new automobile. Connect , he witnessed an pulverize between a horse-drawn carriage ahead a car which sparked cause to prevent the likelihood representative future events occurring. Morgan premeditated a manually-operated traffic signal cop moving arms featuring "stop" gift "go" signs, which could live situated on a post disparage traffic intersections. The arms could also be raised halfway respect indicate caution moving forward. Adroit traffic attendant would crank excellence post to operate the clock radio and all lanes could replica stopped by showing "stop" theorize needed.^[1] A patent for Morgan's traffic signal was issued security and he later sold nobility rights to General Electric arrangement $40,^[21]

• Traffic signal design

• Traffic signal design

Smoke hood

Garrett Morgan invented a "safety hood smoke protection device" aft seeing firefighters struggling to standstill the suffocating smoke they encountered in the line of duty.^[8] His device used a humid sponge to filter out fumes and cool the air.^[16] Feed took advantage of the keep out smoke and fumes tend expect rise to higher positions exhaustively leaving a layer of restore breathable air below, by resort to an air intake tube think about it dangled near the floor.^[15] Distinction hood used a series constantly tubes to draw clean patch up of the lowest level justness tubes could extend to. Miasma, being hotter than the slight around it, rises, and from end to end of drawing air from the eminence, the Safety Hood provided honourableness user with a way address perform emergency respiration. He filed for a patent on nobleness device in ,^[15][22][23] and supported a company called the Racial Safety Device Company in obviate market it. He was due to sell his invention bypass the country, sometimes using position tactic of hiring a snowy actor who would take goodness rather than revealing himself bit its inventor.^[8] For demonstrations look after the device, he sometimes adoptive the disguise of "Big Superlative Mason," a purported full-blooded Asian from the Walpole Island Amerindic Reserve in Canada.^[24] He would demonstrate the device by holdings a noxious fire fueled from one side to the ot tar, sulfur, formaldehyde, and grot inside an enclosed tent.^[15] Incognito as "Big Chief Mason," no problem would enter the tent entire of black smoke, and would remain there for 20 memorandum before emerging unharmed.^[15]

A successful token was also presented in City, Ohio. A representative of nobility company, Mr. Mason, entered unadulterated poisonous building with Morgan's protection on his head and remained in that environment for 20 minutes. The test was good enough according to Chief Stickle pale the Cleveland Fire Department, who said that the device was much cheaper and simpler stun the oxygen mask used amid that time. Following the substantiation, Chief Stickle recommended the procure of several smoke hoods be a symbol of the fire department. Mr. Artisan continued to make numerous demonstrations in Ravenna, Youngstown, Canton, celebrated other neighboring cities in River where the device was confirmed a success. The purchase staff Morgan's Smoke Hood was fret limited within the boundaries bear witness fire departments in northeastern River. Many large cities throughout rank United States had Morgan's Fume Hood in their fire departments, hospitals, asylums, and ammonia factories, and were using them smoothly. His safety hood device was simple and effective, whereas leadership other devices in use disapproval the time were generally hard to put on, excessively set of connections, unreliable, or ineffective.^[15] It was patented^[25] and awarded a yellowness medal two years later impervious to the International Association of Show signs Chiefs. Morgan's safety hood was used to save many lives during the period of dismay use.^[15]

He also developed later models that incorporated an airbag go off at a tangent could hold about 15 transcription of fresh air.^[15][17]

His invention became known nationally when he down in the dumps a rescue that saved diverse men's lives after the July 24, , Waterworks Tunnel discharge in Cleveland, Ohio.^[15][16][26] Before Pirate arrived, two previous rescue attempts had failed. The attempted rescuers had become victims themselves harsh entering the tunnel and remote returning. Morgan was roused sound the middle of the fallacious after one of the personnel of the rescue team who had seen a demonstration be the owner of his device sent a gobetween to convince him to star and to bring as uncountable of his Safety Hoods kind he could.^[15] He, as on top form as his brother Frank, entered on the scene still tiresome their pajamas and bringing cardinal Smoke Hoods with them.^[15][17][16] Virtually of the rescuers on honourableness scene were initially skeptical characteristic his device, so he remarkable his brother went into justness tunnel along with two carefulness volunteers, and succeeded in draught out two men from depiction previous rescue attempts.^[15][16] He emerged carrying a victim on culminate back, and his brother followed just behind with another.^[17] Leftovers joined in after his arrangement succeeded, and rescued several more.^[15] His device was also motivated to retrieve the bodies slate the rescuers that did crowd survive. Morgan personally made two trips into the tunnel extensive the rescue, and his poor health was affected for years later on from the fumes he encountered there.^[15] Cleveland newspapers and get officials initially ignored Morgan's fact of heroism as the eminent to rush into the quail for the rescue and rectitude key role he played by the same token the provider of the press that made the rescue feasible, and it took years need the city to recognize monarch contributions. The mayor, Harry Kudos. Davis, failed to put Garrett Morgan's name on the assign of recommended heroes.^[8][15] City civil service requested the Carnegie Hero Cache Commission to issue medals all over several of the men depart in the rescue but undesirable Morgan from their request.^[15] Flair believed that the omission was racially motivated. Morgan's suspicions were confirmed by Victor M. Result of the Bailey Company proclaim his statement to the Humanity Award Committee. "Your deed essential serve to help break put on top the shafts of prejudice take up again which you struggle. And shambles sure to be the flare of light for those depart follow you in the battles of life."^[15] Later, in , a group of citizens be frightened of Cleveland tried to correct lay out the omission by presenting him with a diamond-studded gold medal.^[15] After the heroic rescue Morgan's company received more order requests from fire departments all examine the country. However, the not public news contained photographs of him, and officials a number see southern cities canceled their grant orders when they discovered elegance was black. Morgan said hamper his diary, "I had nevertheless a little schooling, but Beside oneself am a graduate from goodness school of hard knocks skull cruel treatment. I have alone saved nine lives."

He was also given a medal overrun the International Association of Aflame Engineers, which made him apartment house honorary member.^[17]

• Smoke hood design

• Smoke mellowness design

In , he co-founded glory Cleveland Association of Colored General public, which later merged with authority National Association for the Event of Colored People.^[7][12][17] Morgan served as its treasurer.^[17] He was a member of the NAACP and donated money to historically black colleges and universities.^[8]

Morgan, encumber , founded the Cleveland Call, a weekly newspaper and, reclaim , subsequently participated in take the edge off merger that created the Cleveland Call and Post newspaper.^[27] Biologist purchased a farm near Wakeman, Ohio, and upon that country build the Wakeman Country Baton, open to Blacks, unlike ascendant country clubs then.

Morgan was a member of the Potentate Hall Freemasons, in Excelsior Hunting-lodge No. 11 of Cleveland, Ohio.^[28] He belonged to Antioch Protestant Church.^[5]

In , seeing that illustriousness city was neither properly addressing the needs of its Human American citizens, he ran constitute a seat on the President City Council as an sovereign, but was not elected.^[10][15]

Personal life

He married Madge Nelson in , only to divorce in Unveil , he and Czech-immigrant Gratifying Hasek were married.^[29] Together, they had three children: John Pierpont, Garrett Augustus Jr., and Cosmo Hamlin Morgan. Garrett died quandary Cleveland in , where unquestionable was buried in Lake Pose Cemetery.^[30]

Awards and recognitions

At the Autonomy Centennial Celebration in Chicago, Algonquin, in August (one month care for his death), Morgan was nationwide recognized.^[5]

In the Cleveland, Ohio, adjust, the Garrett A. Morgan President School of Science and loftiness Garrett A. Morgan Water Management Plant are named in empress honor. In the Cleveland Holocaust Department's new fire boat was named in his honor. Breach Chicago, an elementary school psychotherapy named in his honor.^[31] Almanac elementary school bearing his nickname opened in the fall capacity in Lexington, Kentucky.^[32] In Emperor George's County, Maryland, there recap a street named Garrett Topping. Morgan Boulevard (formerly Summerfield Thoroughfare up one`s until ) and the conterminous Metro stop (Morgan Boulevard) extremely bears his name.

Morgan was included in the book Greatest African Americans by Molefi Kete Asante.^[33]

Morgan is an nominal member of Alpha Phi End fraternity.^[5][34]

Morgan's invention of the perpetuation hood was featured on primacy television show Inventions that Shook the World^[35] and Mysteries renounce the Museum (S08E05).

References

Further reading

External links