Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on September 4, 1848. Although George was freed from slavery, the prevailing conditions of the time compelled him to go in hiding. He took on any jobs that would offer him a wage but in 1861 the US Civil War erupted. Lewis Howard LatimerinventorBorn: 1848Birthplace: Chelsea, Mass. He was the youngest of four children and his parents were former slaves who had escaped from Virginia to Massachusetts. Thanks to Lewis’ expertise, Bell was able to submit the patent before his rivals. [8][9], The Edison Electric Light Company in New York City hired Latimer in 1884, as a draftsman and an expert witness in patent litigation on electric lights. If you want to support us please contact us. At this time, Bell was in a race to get the telephone patented before one of his rivals beat him to it. Billy the Kid was a late 19th-century thief and gunfighter. In 1879, he moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and was hired as assistant manager and draftsman for the U.S. Electric Lighting Company, a company owned by Hiram Maxim, a rival of Thomas A. Edison. Former NFL linebacker Ray Lewis was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and a Super Bowl MVP during his 17-year career with the Baltimore Ravens. Maxim was the founder of the US Electric Lighting Company in Brooklyn, New York and Lews was given the job of mechanical draftsman. Challenger energy supply companies, Bulb energy and Octopus energy have never hidden their ambitions to strike out across the Atlantic and both companies have expanded their influence in the United States of America. Latimer was a founding member of the Flushing, New York. Latimer bought second-hand drafting instruments and taught himself engineering drawing. Infoplease knows the value of having sources you can trust. As a recognition for the same, he has been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. [4] Latimer died on December 11, 1928, at the age of 80. He served in this capacity until the early part of the decade of 1910, when the board of patent control was dissolved. During his stint with ‘U.S. While continuing to work with the law firm, he co-invented and patented an improved water closet for railroad cars. By watching the other draftsmen, Lewis soon became skilled and eventually worked his way up to the position of draftsman himself within a few years. While working with Edison’s organization, his unique know-how of incandescent lights and patent laws was utilized to the maximum to protects the interests of the organization. Rebecca had escaped capture. At this time, Bell was in a race to get the telephone patented before one of his rivals beat him to it. Returning to Boston after an honorable discharge, he accepted a menial position at the Crosby and Gould patent law office. Track and field athlete Carl Lewis competed in four Olympic Games. Lewis Howard Latimer was an African American scientist, inventor, engineer, and patent draftsman for many inventions, including lightbulb and the telephone that transformed technology in the later part of the 19th century. He later invented an electric lamp and a carbon filament for light bulbs (patented 1881, 1882). In 1918, he was inducted as the member of ‘Edison Pioneers,’ an exclusive group of innovators who worked closely with Edison, and is the only African-American inductee. H.H. Latimer breathed his last on December 11, 1928, at the age of 80. Becomes a charter member of the Edison Pioneers. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Lewis Howard Latimer lived in the house from 1903 until his death in 1928. Lewis Howard Latimer was born in 1848 at a time when the USA was going through a period of great turmoil. Latimer  was a self taught electrical engineer and inventor. Begin working as an office boy for Issac Wright, a prominent lawyer. After his father’s disappearance, to support his family, Latimer took up various odd jobs in Boston. He was also an artist and an expert on the laws that cover inventions . During the 1893 Columbian Exposition, he lured victims into his elaborate 'Murder Castle.'. His wife, Mary, predeceased him by four years. Learn more about the mythic conflict between the Argives and the Trojans. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lewis_Howard_Latimer&oldid=978394290, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Inventor, patent consultant, author, engineer, draftsman, Navy Landsman (Rank), Jeanette Latimer (married Gerald F. Norman), The Latimer family house is on Latimer Place in Flushing, Queens. Not sure about the geography of the middle east? 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. There he worked as a chief draftsman, engineer, patent specialist, and expert witness of the Board of Patent Control. She was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the daughter of Louisa M. and William Lewis. He was also involved in the field of incandescent lighting, a particularly competitive field, working for Hiram Maxim and Edison. Working with Bell, Latimer helped draft the patent for Bell's design of the telephone. He left ‘U.S. His father, George A. Latimer, was a freed slave who deserted his wife and family when Lewis was approximately ten years old, forcing the youngster to forego his formal education in order to help his mother and four siblings survive. After his father's departure, Latimer worked to help support his mother and family. The house remained in the Latimer family until 1963. Lewis Latimer. The Latimers were active members of the Unitarian Church and Latimer was consistently involved in Civil War veterans groups, including the Grand Army of the Republic. [1], Lewis Howard Latimer joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 15 on September 16, 1863, and served as a Landsman on the USS Massasoit. Holmes was the alias of one of America's first serial killers. Latimer was the only black man of the original 28 people who formed the "Edison Pioneers," a group dedicated to maintaining Edison's ideals. Member of Edison Pioneers. He fell into a depression that was alleviated somewhat after his two daughters had a book of poems published to celebrate his 77. suppliers get set up and start supplying. Latimer proved invaluable in this and together they worked long hours to draw up the blueprints. Electric Lighting Company’ hired him as an assistant manager and draftsman. This company was owned by the famous inventor Maxim, a competitor of Thomas Alva Edison. Lewis Latimer was an inventor and a scientist who helped develop the electric light bulb. In 1864, at the age of 16, Latimer lied about his age in order to enlist in the United States Navy during the Civil War. Begin working as an office boy for Issac Wright, a prominent lawyer. In 1890, Latimer published a book entitled Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System. Working for Edison, Lewis quickly established himself as an invaluable part of the company as his expertise as an electrical engineer provided him with the knowledge needed to guide Edison through the patenting process. He has worked with stalwarts of industries like Alexander Graham Bell, Hiram Maxim, and Thomas Alva Edison. In addition to assisting others, Latimer designed a number of his own inventions, including an improved railroad car bathroom and an early air conditioning unit. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/lewis-howard-latimer-17608.php, Celebrities Who Are Not In The Limelight Anymore. Latimer's talents were well-matched to the post-Civil War period, which saw a large number of scientific and engineering breakthroughs. A set of apartment houses in Flushing are called "Latimer Gardens". Top Ten Closest U.S. Presidential Elections, State Abbreviations and State Postal Codes, This List of Favorite Islands will Make You Remember Why You Loved Poptropica So Much. It’s that time of the year when Ofgem’s newest change to the energy price cap comes into force. They were blessed with two daughters, Emma Jeanette and Louise Rebecca. W.H. Energy regulator Ofgem has proposed the issuance of final orders for seven UK energy suppliers after they failed to pay their Renewable Obligations to the sum of £34 million. His job responsibilities at ‘General Electric’ included, making drawings, inventing and improving technologies, filing and receiving patents and appearing on behalf of the organization’s patent infringement suits related to the electric bulb involving ‘U.S. [5] Approximately sixty years after his death, his home was moved from Holly Avenue to 137th Street in Flushing, Queens, which is about 1.4 miles northwest of its original location. In 1918, Lewis was made one of the 28 charter members of the elite Edison Peers group, the only African American to have been chosen. 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