Garrett Morgan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Garrett Morgan
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| Born |
Garrett Augustus Morgan
March 4, 1877 |
| Died | July 27, 1963 (aged 86) |
| Other names | Big Chief Mason |
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| Known for | Inventing a type of traffic light |
Garrett Augustus Morgan, Sr. (born March 4, 1877 – died July 27, 1963) was an amazing African-American inventor and leader in his community.
He is famous for inventing many useful things. These include a special protective hood (like a gas mask), a traffic signal, and a chemical to straighten hair. He also became a hero in 1916. He and three other people used his safety hood to save workers trapped in a tunnel under Lake Erie. Garrett Morgan is also known as the first African American in Cleveland, Ohio, to own a car!
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Garrett Morgan was born in 1877 in Claysville, Harrison County, Kentucky. This was a community where almost everyone was African American. His father, Sydney Morgan, was a freed slave and the son of a Confederate General. His mother, Elizabeth Reed, was also a freed slave and partly Native American.
Garrett went to Branch Elementary School in Claysville until the sixth grade. When he was 14, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to find work.
His Career and Inventions
Garrett spent his teenage years working as a handyman. He had to leave school early to work full-time, like many kids back then. But he hired a tutor to keep learning while he worked.
In 1895, he moved to Cleveland. There, he started fixing sewing machines for a clothing company. This made him very interested in how things worked. He became known for being great at fixing machines. His very first invention was a special belt fastener for sewing machines.
Starting His Own Businesses
In 1907, Garrett Morgan opened his own sewing machine repair shop. He also cared deeply about his heritage. In 1908, he helped start the Cleveland Association of Colored Men. A year later, he and his wife, Mary Anne, opened Morgan's Cut Rate Ladies Clothing Store. This store made coats, suits, and dresses, and had 32 employees.
Around 1910, Garrett became more interested in creating his own inventions. He received his first patent in 1912.
The Smoke Hood
Garrett Morgan invented a safety hood, also called a smoke hood. He got the idea after seeing firefighters struggling with smoke. His device used a wet sponge to filter smoke and cool the air. It also had a tube that reached near the ground. This was smart because smoke rises, leaving cleaner air closer to the floor.
He got a patent for his smoke hood in 1914. That same year, he started the National Safety Device Company. To show how well it worked, he would sometimes put on the hood himself. He would enter a tent filled with thick smoke from tar, sulfur, and other things. He would stay inside for 20 minutes and come out unharmed!
Sometimes, Garrett would even pretend to be "Big Chief Mason," a Native American man. This was to help sell his invention in places where people might not buy from a Black inventor.
Heroic Rescue in Lake Erie
Garrett Morgan's smoke hood became famous in 1916. A terrible explosion happened in a tunnel under Lake Erie. Workers were trapped 50 feet (about 15 meters) below the ground. Two rescue attempts had already failed, and more people were in danger.
Garrett was called in the middle of the night. He arrived with his brother, Frank, and four of his safety hoods. Many rescuers were unsure about his device. But Garrett and his brother, along with two volunteers, bravely went into the tunnel. They pulled out two men from the earlier failed rescue attempts. Garrett carried one victim on his back.
Others joined in after seeing their success. They rescued several more people and even helped retrieve bodies. Garrett went into the tunnel four times himself. The fumes he breathed affected his health for years afterward.
At first, Cleveland newspapers and officials didn't give Garrett Morgan enough credit. They didn't mention his heroism or how his invention saved lives. Later, in 1917, some citizens gave him a special gold medal. His company then received many orders for the smoke hood from fire departments across the country. However, some southern cities canceled their orders when they found out he was Black.
His invention was later improved to carry its own air supply, becoming a gas mask. The International Association of Fire Engineers gave him a medal and made him an honorary member.
Hair Care Products
Garrett Morgan also experimented with a liquid that polished sewing machine needles. In 1905, he accidentally found that this liquid could also straighten hair! He turned it into a cream and started the G. A. Morgan Hair Refining Company. He also created a black hair dye and invented a special curved-tooth comb for straightening hair in 1910.
The Traffic Signal
At the start of the 1900s, more cars were on the roads. People, bikes, horse-drawn wagons, and cars all shared the same streets. This led to many accidents. So, people started inventing different ways to control traffic.
Garrett Morgan saw a serious car accident at an intersection. This inspired him to create a new traffic control device. In 1922, he filed a patent for a traffic signal that had a third "warning" position. This patent was granted in 1923. His invention helped make roads safer for everyone.
Community Leadership
Garrett Morgan was a strong community leader. In 1908, he helped start the Cleveland Association of Colored Men. This group later joined with the NAACP. Garrett was the treasurer for this group. He also gave money to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
In 1920, Garrett started a weekly newspaper called the Cleveland Call. Later, in 1938, he helped merge it with another paper to create the Cleveland Call and Post. He also bought a farm and built the Wakeman Country Club. This club was open to Black people, which was rare at the time.
Garrett Morgan was a member of the Prince Hall Freemasons and went to Antioch Baptist Church.
Personal Life
Garrett Morgan married Madge Nelson in 1896, but they divorced in 1898. In 1908, he married Mary Hasek. They had three children: John P., Garrett A. Jr., and Cosmo.
Garrett Morgan passed away in Cleveland in 1963 at the age of 86. He was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland.
Awards and Recognitions
One month after he died, Garrett Morgan was honored at the Emancipation Centennial Celebration in Chicago, Illinois, in August 1963.
Many places have been named after him in the Cleveland, Ohio area. These include the Garrett A. Morgan Cleveland School of Science and the Garrett A. Morgan Water Treatment Plant. An elementary school in Chicago and another in Lexington, Kentucky, also bear his name. In Prince George's County, Maryland, there's a street called Garrett A. Morgan Boulevard and a Metro stop named Morgan Boulevard.
Garrett Morgan was also included in the 2002 book 100 Greatest African Americans. He is an honorary member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Documentary
Garrett Morgan is featured in a 2019 documentary called No Lye: An American Beauty Story. This film tells the story of how Black-owned beauty businesses grew and changed over time.
See also
