Garrett Morgan was an African-American inventor, businessman, and community leader who is credited with inventing an improved sewing machine and traffic signal, a hair-straightening product, and a respiratory device that would later provide the blueprint for World War I gas masks.
Morgan was born March 4, 1877, to Elizabeth Reed and Sydney Hunt Morgan in Paris, Kentucky, the seventh of 11 children. He only attended elementary school before leaving school to go to work with his family. As a teenager, Morgan moved to Cincinnati to look for work, and found a position working as a handyman for a wealthy landowner, using his earnings to hire a private tutor.
Morgan would later move on to working at sewing machine factories. While working with the machines he became interested in making improvements. After doing just that, he filed a patent for a new sewing machine and opened up a repair shop. Business was lucrative and he soon married Mary Anne Hassek with whom he had three sons.
Continuing as an entrepreneur, Morgan opened up a tailoring shop. Wanting to address the problem of burnt Woolen fabric due to the heat of the needle, he created a chemical mix that he noticed straightened the fabric. He tried the concoction on his own hair and once it was successful in straightening his coils, he produced the G.A. Morgan Hair Refining Company and sold his hair products. This business was prosperous, which allowed Morgan to begin a newspaper named the Cleveland Call, open an all-Black country club, and become the first African American in Cleveland to own a car.
After witnessing a horrific car accident, Morgan was inspired to invent an improved traffic light, which continues to save lives today. He went on to sell his device in Canada and Great Britain, before ultimately selling the patent to General Electric Corporation for $40,000.
Always looking to improve the lives of others, Morgan produced and patented a safety hood. It was a breathing device that eventually became a prototype for masks used in World War I. It was a barrier and filter for its wearers from gases, pollutants, and smoke.
Morgan’s device sold very well up north, but he hit a wall when it came to selling down south. To get around this Morgan hired a white man to play the role of the inventor, and he the Native American sidekick. During the presentations he would withstand dangerous scenarios and come out unscathed. The sales of his device boomed thereafter, selling easily to firefighters and rescue workers.
The safety hood gained even more notoriety when in 1916 a group of miners that were drilling a new tunnel under Lake Erie hit a pocket of natural gas, and became trapped underground due to the explosion. Initial rescue efforts we’re futile. Morgan was called and along with his brother he arrived at the scene in his pajamas with several gas masks in tow. Upon their arrival many of the minors and rescue workers were already dead. He and his brother quickly put on their masks and were able to pull eight men to safety. Their heroic acts weren’t included in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and other newspapers when the story was published the next day. The brothers also were bypassed as others were given a cash bonus and medals for their efforts that night. While not rewarded initially, Morgan has been accredited and honored in many ways posthumously.
He was 87-years-old when he passed on July 27, 1963 in Cleveland, Ohio.
A native of Phoenix, Arizona Aundrea Sayrie is a firm believer in the power of words, faith and a strong spirit. Her greatest desire is to encourage those around her to discover and honor their truth, and to passionately live on purpose.
