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Lewis Howard LatimerLewis Howard Latimer , the son of a slave in Virginia, was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts in September 1848. Latimer received part of his education at a Farm School for boys. At fifteen years of age he enlisted in the Union Navy and saw action along the James River during the Civil War. After the war, Latimer returned to Boston to seek work. Self trained as a draftsman, Latimer worked at a machine shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

During his early career, he worked with Alexander Graham Bell and provided the drawings for Bell's patent application for the telephone. Latimer also worked with Herman Maxim, the inventor of the machine gun. With Maxim's assistance, Latimer was able to invent and patent the first electric lamp with a carbon filament. Using his invention, Latimer supervised the installation of electric street lighting for the cities of Philadelphia, London (England), and New York.

In addition to his inventions, Latimer is known for his writings. His book on electricity, Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System was published in 1890. Latimer died in 1928 at the age of 80.


References

Sertima, I.V. (1986). Blacks in Science: Ancient and Modern. New Brunswick, CT: Journal of African Civilizations.

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