Celebrating Black History Month: Lewis Howard Latimer

2/21/2022 7:21 pm

As some of you may have seen on the Tuscan Families Facebook page , Joanne Charles, our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion VP, will be highlighting the contributions of African Americans in American History.

Below is the latest post:

Lewis Howard Latimer was born on September 8, 1948, in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Lewis, at the age of 15 years old, lied and said he was 16 years and enlisted in the United States Navy during the Civil War. Lewis, after serving in the Navy, he received an honorable discharge and began employment as an office boy at a patent law firm. While working at the patent law firm, Lewis taught himself mechanical drawing and drafting. Because of his talent, he was promoted from being an office boy to a draftsman. Lewis worked with Alexander Graham Bell and helped patent the telephone. He also worked with Thomas Edison, and because of Lewis’s knowledge of incandescent lighting, he played an intricate part in designing the lightbulb. In the late 1800’s, Lewis published a book, Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System. Lewis continued his work with patents and later passed away on December 11, 1928.