Profiles in History: Lewis Howard Latimer: A Patent Genius

Lewis Latimer (second from right) with the legal department experts of the General Electric Company. (Public Domain)

In the late 1830s, George and Rebecca Latimer fled Virginia. The two fugitive slaves worked their way toward Boston around 1842, where they found a home and freedom. This freedom, however, was uncertain due to the fugitive slave laws. When George was arrested and brought to trial as a fugitive, Bostonians defended George’s right to freedom. He received the support of famous abolitionists, such as William Lloyd Garrison and the former slave-turned-orator Frederick Douglass. When an African American preacher paid $400 to the Virginia slavemaster, George was finally free. By then, he and Rebecca were the parents of four children. Their youngest was the bright Lewis Howard Latimer (1848–1928).

Lewis Latimer, a detail-oriented and self-taught inventor, contributed to the development of electric lighting in the 19th century. (Public Domain)

Latimer worked to help his parents make ends meet, often helping his father with hanging wallpaper. He received some schooling, but it was a far cry from a formal education. Nonetheless, Latimer loved to read and to draw. Both passions would lead to great successes and inventions.

Becoming a Draftsman

Understanding his parents’ plight, especially after the 1857 Dred Scott decision from the Supreme Court, Latimer decided to fight for the Union in the Civil War. In 1864, the young man lied about his age in order to enlist in the U.S. Navy. By the time he was discharged in July 1865, he was a lieutenant.

Latimer took a job as an office boy at the Boston firm Crosby, Halsted & Gould, Solicitors of American & Foreign Patents, making $3 per week. While working at the ground level of the firm, Latimer paid close attention to the work of the draftsmen and how they drew each patent. It was mechanical, precise, yet artistic work.

Latimer had been honing his sketching skills for some time, and while working at the firm, he purchased drafting books and tools. At home, he taught himself how to draft patents. After several months, 20-year-old Latimer felt confident to request an opportunity to demonstrate his skills. His work was apparently impressive as he was promoted to draftsman, which came with a weekly salary of $20.

The young draftsman remained with Crosby, Halsted & Gould for 11 years and was chief patent draftsman by the time he left the firm. During this time, he patented his first invention, the water closet (toilet) for train cars. The patent was approved on Feb. 10, 1874. Two years later, one of the most famous Bostonians, and Americans for that matter, hired him to draft his patent. The man was Alexander Graham Bell, and the patent was for his telephone. Latimer sketched the mechanical drawings and also helped prepare the patent application. Bell secured the patent only a few hours before his competitor.

The Great Improvement

Latimer’s work came to the attention of another famous and successful inventor: Hiram Maxim, most famous for his machine gun. Maxim had founded the United States Electric Lighting Company in Brooklyn in 1878. The addition of Latimer in 1880 was a smart move, as Latimer worked to develop not only the company’s light bulbs and lamps, but also to secure its patents. Latimer rose through the ranks and obtained a good deal of experience as an electrical engineer, including overseeing the installation of the company’s lighting in numerous U.S. cities, as well as in Canada and England.

In 1882, Latimer made his most significant contribution to the field of modern science. He invented an incandescent light bulb that would burned brighter and longer, and was more affordable than other bulbs on the market. He designed a light bulb that used carbon filament encased in cardboard. His invention was patented on Jan. 17, 1882, and the new version of the lightbulb found its way into homes and office buildings around the world. In fact, the carbon filament light bulb is still used today, although tungsten filament is the primary type.

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A surviving light bulb, designed in the 1880s by Lewis Latimer, shines on in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry (Daderot/CC BY-SA 1.0)

Edison Calling

In 1884, Maxim’s competitor and America’s greatest inventor, Thomas Edison, hired Latimer. It would prove a wise decision for the Edison Electric Light Company.

Edison was the first to successfully invent and patent the incandescent light bulb. His bulbs, which had bamboo filaments, were capable of burning for over 12 hours. Latimer brought his carbon filament knowledge with him, which greatly assisted Edison’s company.

The draftsman-turned-inventor was placed in charge of securing patents for Edison’s company. His knowledge of the process required by the U.S. Patent Office ensured patent applications were properly filed. Latimer also protected the company against patent infringements in the United States and around the world. Part of this required him to translate information in French and German, and manage the company library. Edison tasked him with being the company’s expert witness concerning patent rights as well. Latimer went on to be an expert witness for Westinghouse and General Electric as well.

Lewis Latimer's home was moved to its current location in Flushing, Queens, New York City, in the 1980s. It stands as a reminder to the American's innovative nature, and how with determination, anything is possible. (Tdorante10/CC BY-SA 4.0)

In the late 1880s, Edison requested that Latimer write a book on the history of the incandescent light bulb. Latimer accepted the task, and in 1890, “Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System” was published. The book is considered by scholars to be a “culturally important” work. Toward the end of Latimer’s illustrious career in 1918, he became a charter member of the prestigious group of former Edison employees—the Edison Pioneers—who had worked with the inventor before 1885.

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