Name: Garrett Augustus Morgan Birth Date: March 4, 1877 Death Date: August 27, 1963
Early Life: •
Seventh child out of 11 African descent
-Mother: Elizabeth Reed Morgan a women of Indian and
-Father: Either Confederate Colonel John Hunt Morgan or Sydney Morgan (former slave)
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Garrett Morgan in his mid teens he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and got a job as a handyman. He paid for a private tutor on the account that he only had an elementary education.
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Jobs at sewing-machine factories caught his eyes and helped determined his future. He learned how the machines worked and also how to fix them. Garret Morgan received patent an improved sewing machine and then went on to open a repair business.
Interesting Facts: •
He patented the safe hood a breathing device that was a precursor to the gas mask.
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In 1923 he developed a new traffic signal with warning light.
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He was a member of the NAAC when it was a newly formed organization.
Garrett Augustus Morgan deserves to be in the African American Hall of Fame because his improvements saved many lives around the world. He saved the lives of firefighters, soldiers and vehicle operators. He also helped his black community in Cleveland by donating to black colleges, plus he opened an all-black country club. He was also active in the Cleveland Association of Color Men and launched an African-American called the Cleveland Call. So as
you can see Garrett Morgan didn’t just help people in his black community he also helped the world and that’s why I believe Garrett Morgan should be in the African American Hall of Fame. -By: Jarod M. Lomax