Lewis Latimer, Draftsman

Lewis Latimer, Draftsman

1848–1928 · Massachusetts and New York. Son of parents who escaped slavery; Union Navy veteran at 16.

Self-taught drafting. Hired as an office boy at a patent law firm in Boston, he watched the draftsmen, bought his own instruments and taught himself. He became head draftsman.

The telephone. He drafted the patent drawings for Alexander Graham Bell's telephone application in 1876.

The light bulb. In 1881 he patented an improved method of making carbon filaments, then worked for Edison's companies, supervised lighting installations and wrote a textbook on incandescent lighting.

The trade. Every building and machine begins as a drawing someone can build from. Drafters make that drawing.

Hall of Makers · a historical maker until local oral histories are recorded. Scan for the full story.

Scan for the reading · newschoolworks.com/q/58RCE958RCE9