HERO INVENTOR
Garrett Morgan could fix just about anything. Broken sewing machines, busted motors, broken-down factory equipment—Morgan could fix it all. Morgan was a genius at figuring out how to make things better. While he was working as a sewing machine repairman, he invented a new belt fastener for sewing machines and got his first patent in 1912.
He did all of this with only a sixth-grade education, and during a time when American businesses were deeply prejudiced against people with dark skin color.
Morgans parents were slaves until President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. His father was the son of a slavemaster, John H. Morgan, and his slave mistress. Garrett Morgan’s mother was half Native American and half African American. Morgan’s race profoundly impacted his career and the success of his inventions.
Garrett Morgan could fix just about anything. Broken sewing machines, busted motors, broken-down factory equipment...
Despite prejudice against Black entrepreneurs, Morgan managed to successfully open his own sewing machine and shoe repair shop in 1907. By 1909, he had a shop with 32 employees and was making coats, suits, dresses, and other clothing. But Morgan wasn’t just content to be a businessman, His active mind was still thinking of how to improve everything he saw.
He began to imagine a safety hood that could be used to help the firefighters breathe.
Morgan had seen local firefighters struggling to withstand the smoke of fires. He began to imagine a safety hood that could be used to help the firefighters breathe. He designed a canvas hood that had two tubes. One tube dangled near the floor to take advantage of the clean air beneath the smoke fumes. A wet sponge was used to filter out smoke and cool the air. He patented his invention in 1912. Two years later, he was ready to sell his safety hood and founded the National Safety Device Company.
But prejudiced investors did not want to purchase something invented by a Black man. Morgan had to have a White actor promote his safety hood so that people would buy it. Morgan was frustrated, but he wasn’t willing to give up. He knew that his invention could save lives.
One night in 1916, Morgan was at his home in Cleveland when someone banged frantically on his door. The visitor had just come from a tunnel explosion under Lake Erie. Workers were trapped in the burning tunnel. Could Morgan come help and bring as many of his safety hoods as possible?
Garrett Morgan
Morgan got his brother, Frank, out of bed. They didn’t even bother to get dressed, but grabbed four safety hoods and went to the site of the explosion. When they arrived on the scene, the other rescue workers were skeptical. They didn’t believe the safety hoods would work and weren’t willing to try them.
Garrett and Frank Morgan knew the hoods would work. They scrambled into the safety hoods and went into the smoke-filled tunnel. Within a few minutes they came back out carrying victims on their backs. They immediately went back in and rescued more people. The other workers were convinced and began taking turns going in and pulling out as many victims as they could. When they couldn’t find any more survivors, they used the safety hoods to bring out the bodies of the dead so their families could bury them.
Sadly, Garrett and Frank Morgan were not recognized for their heroic efforts. Cleveland’s newspapers totally ignored their role in providing the equipment or in the rescue of more than 20 people. Two White men, Thomas J. Clancy and Thomas Castleberry, were recognized as the “heroes” and given a $500 reward by the Carnegie Commission.
Despite this, news of Morgan’s safety hood spread, and more than 500 cities bought hoods for use in their fire departments. He also sold the hoods to the U.S. Navy and Army, and they were used by the military during World War I.
Morgan became a successful businessman. He was the first Black man to own a car in Cleveland. He invented cosmetic products and also invented the first three-position traffic signal. His traffic signal regulated traffic better because it had a caution signal in addition to stop and go. He donated money to help fund scholarships for young Black students and worked tirelessly to help improve the treatment of Black people in America.
Garrett arid Frank Morgan knew the hoods would work. They scrambled into the safety hoods and went into the smoke-filled tunnel.
Garrett Morgan bringing first man out of the tunnel explosion under Lake Erie.
He died in 1963 at the age of 86. One month after his death, his achievements were recognized nationally during the centennial celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation.