Lewis Howard Latimer Biography
Lewis Howard Latimer was born on September 4 1848 and died on December 11, 1928 was an American inventor and patent draftsman for the lightbulb and telephone
Lewis Howard Latimer Age
He was Born Lewis Howard Latimer,in September 4 1848 in Chelsea, MA and died in December 11 1928 at the age of 80 Lewis Howard Latimer was the son of George A. and Rebecca
Lewis Howard Latimer Ealry Life
Lewis Howard Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on September 4 1848 the youngest of four children of Rebecca Latimer 1823 – August 13 1910 and George Latimer July 4 1818 – May 29, 1897. George Latimer had been the slave of James B. Gray of Virginia.
George Latimer ran away to freedom to Boston, Massachusetts, in October 1842, along with his wife Rebecca, who had been the slave of another man. When Gray, the owner, appeared in Boston to take them back to Virginia, it became a noted case in the movement for abolition of slavery, gaining the involvement of such abolitionists as William Lloyd Garrison. Eventually funds were raised to pay Gray $400 for the freedom of George Latimer.
Lewis Howard Latimer Marriage
He married Mary Wilson Lewis on November 15 1873 in Fall River, Massachusetts. She was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the daughter of William and Louisa M. Lewis. The couple had two daughters, Emma Jeanette June 12 1883 – February 1978 and Louise Rebecca April 19 1890 – January 1963
Lewis Howard Latimer Legacy
- Latimer is an inductee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his work on electric filament manufacturing techniques.
- The Latimer family house is on Latimer Place in Flushing, Queens. It was moved from the original location to a nearby small park and turned into the Lewis H. Latimer House Museum in honor of the inventor.
- Latimer was a founding member of the Flushing, New York, Unitarian Church.
- A set of apartment houses in Flushing are called “Latimer Gardens”.
- P.S. 56 in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, is named Lewis H. Latimer School in Latimer’s honor.
- An invention program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is named after him
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Lewis Howard Latimer 8 IMPORTANT FACTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Lewis Latimer was born on September 4, 1848, in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He was the son of George and Rebecca Latimer, who were free slaves. Six years before his birth, his parents escaped from slavery, but were captured and tried. However, his father was defended by abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass, who helped him to purchase his freedom.
- At the age of 10, Latimer’s father disappeared, forcing the young teenager to forgo his education in order to help his mother raise his four siblings. At the age of 16, Latimer enlisted in the United States Navy to serve during the Civil War.
- After his service in the United States Navy, Latimer was employed as an office boy at a firm owned by Crosby and Gould. During this time, he developed an interest in mechanical drawing, and even purchased secondhand books and drafting tools in order to practice during his free time.
- Recognizing his effort and promise, Latimer was promoted from an office boy to a draftsman. He was responsible for assisting clients and perfecting drawings, which were paramount to the success of the patent applications.
- Apart from working for the firm, Latimer was able to design a number of his own inventions, such as improving the air conditioning unit and the railroad car bathroom.
- Latimer was directly involved in the discovery of the telephone and incandescent lighting. His brilliant and inventive mind enabled him to work with great inventors of the 19th century, such as Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Alva Edison, and Hiram S. Maxim. Apart from showcasing his skills in the invention of the telephone, Latimer also studied electricity and was able to master the new science’s complexities, which led to the discovery of the carbon filament used in light bulbs.
- In 1873, Latimer married Mary Wilson, with whom he had two daughters.
- He was an active member of the Unitarian Church and involved in Civil War Veteran Groups. In his spare time, he wrote poems and plays. Latimer was also a committed art and ESL teacher.
