Garrett Augustus Morgan

 Garrett Augustus Morgan

Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. was born to former slaves in Paris, Kentucky, on March 4, 1877. If you have never heard of Garrett Morgan, that is understandable, but not a day goes by that you do not reap the rewards from one of his inventions. Morgan began life working with his brothers and sisters on the family farm in Kentucky. His education, like that of many young African Americans at the time, ended after elementary school. He moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and found work as a handyman. He earned enough to hire a tutor to continue his education. In 1895, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked as a sewing machine repairman. It was there that he developed his passion to make things work better. In 1907, at the age of thirty, he opened his own sewing machine and repair shop. By 1909, his company employed thirty-four employees, expanded into the tailoring business, making coats, dresses, and suits, all sewn with equipment he had made himself. His experimentation with a liquid to give sewing needles a high polish to avoid burning fabric led him to discover it could be used to straighten Black hair. He made the liquid into a cream and started the G. A. Morgan Hair Refining Company. He also made Black hair oil dye and invented a curved comb to straighten hair. In 1920, he started the Cleveland Call newspaper and enjoyed life as a successful and widely respected businessman. His success led to his ability to buy a house and an automobile, which would lead to one of his greatest inventions.

By 1916, 3.6 million cars and trucks were on American highways, reflecting the effects of mass-produced automobiles like the Ford Model T. Cars, trucks, pedestrians, and horse-drawn vehicles shared the same roadways. Collisions in intersections were common. While original traffic lights did enhance safety, they only used “stop and go” signals, often controlled by traffic personnel and often absent at night. Morgan invented the three-post traffic signal that stopped traffic in all directions before the go signal was activated. Morgan patented this invention in 1923 and was awarded patents in Great Britain and Canada. His invention was used around the world until it was replaced by the red, yellow, and green system of today. He sold the rights to his invention to the General Electric Corporation for forty thousand dollars, equivalent to seven hundred thousand dollars today. In 1963, he was awarded a citation for his invention by the U.S. government. The Federal Highway Administration recognizes Garrett Morgan’s contributions to highway safety through programs like the Garrett A Morgan Transportation Technology Education Program.

In 1914, he started the National Safety Device Company. In 1912, realizing that firefighters faced life-threatening danger from smoke inhalation, he invented his “Breathing Device” to protect the wearer against smoke and ammonia. On July 25, 1916, Morgan received the opportunity to use his device to save lives. An accident happened at the Westside Water Works in Cleveland. The city was building a replacement tunnel under Lake Erie to connect to a water intake crib about four miles from shore, away from the city's pollution. A natural gas vent opened from the bottom of the lake and was somehow ignited, burying the crew under hundreds of feet of mud and debris. Ten members of the initial rescue crew died, overcome by the gas in the tunnel. Morgan and his brother, Frank, arrived on the scene with about twenty of Morgan’s patented safety hoods and led a rescue party to save the remaining survivors. Although he received various awards for his invention and sold several to Northern fire departments, many fire departments, especially those in the South, refused to buy his product because it was invented by a Black man. To overcome the problem of prejudice, Morgan turned to another Morgan for advice.

J.P. Morgan, one of the richest men in America, took an interest in Morgan’s problem and they strangely struck up an enduring friendship. J.P. Morgan suggested that he drop the Garrette A. and just call the device the “Morgan Safety Hood.” He changed his marketing by having white men demonstrate his product and sell them at firefighter conventions. His approach was so successful that within a year after the Lake Erie rescue, he won a contract with the U.S. Navy. His hood design became standard issue for the Army during World War One. In 2005, Garrette Morgan, often called the “Black Edison,” was inducted into the National Inventors’ Hall of Fame for his life-saving hood and traffic device. Garrette Augustus Morgan, a man born of slaves, encumbered by a minimal education, rose to prominence as a businessman, inventor, activist, and community leader.

 

Bibliography:

Biography.com Editors. “Garrett Morgan - Inventions, Traffic Light & Gas Mask.” Biography, June 3, 2021. https://www.biography.com/inventors/garrett-morgan.

EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | www.ebsco.com. “Garrett Augustus Morgan | EBSCO,” 2022. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/garrett-augustus-morgan.

FHWA staff writer. “Safer Stop and Go: Garrett Morgan’s Traffic Signal Legacy | FHWA.” Dot.gov, 2023. https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/safer-stop-and-go-garrett-morgans-traffic-signal-legacy.

Si.edu. “Diverse Voices: Inventor Garrett Morgan | Lemelson,” 2022. https://invention.si.edu/invention-stories/diverse-voices-inventor-garrett-morgan.

www.uspto.gov. “Of Courage and Caution,” n.d. https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/journeys-innovation/historical-stories/courage-and-caution.