About
African-American inventor, tradesman, entrepreneur, and abolitionist who was known for being the first African-American patent-holder in history. In 1821, he was granted the patent for his novel method of dry cleaning.
Before Fame
In 1791, he was born to a free African-American family in New York City.
Trivia
He was a tailor and later opened a dry cleaning business in New York City on Church Street, which became one of the largest clothing stores in New York City. He experimented with different chemicals to remove stains from clothing and came up with his dry-scouring method. He used much of the money earned from his invention on abolitionist services.
Family Life
He and his wife Elizabeth had three children named Matilda, Elizabeth and James.
Associated With
In 1855, he, James McCune Smith and Rev. James W.C. Pennington created the Legal Rights Association, a pioneering minority-rights organization.
