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{{short description|African-American inventor}}
{{Short description|African-American inventor (1791–1859)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
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'''Thomas L. Jennings''' (January 1, 1791 – February 13, 1856) was an [[African-American]] [[Inventor (patent)|inventor]], [[tradesman]], [[Entrepreneurship|entrepreneur]], and [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] in [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. He has the distinction of being the first African-American [[patent]]-holder in history; he was granted the patent in 1821 for his novel method of [[dry cleaning]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biography of Thomas Jennings, First African American Patent Holder|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/thomas-jennings-inventor-1991311|access-date=2021-02-21|website=ThoughtCo|language=en}}</ref> Jennings' invention, along with his business expertise, yielded a significant personal fortune much of which he put into the Abolitionist movement in the [[United States]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-11-26|title=Thomas Jennings|url=https://blackinventor.com/thomas-jennings/|access-date=2021-02-21|website=The Black Inventor Online Museum|language=en-US}}</ref>

{{Infobox person
| name = Thomas L. Jennings
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = c. 1791
| birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1859|2|11|1791|1|1}}
| death_place = New York City, U.S.
| occupation = Inventor, entrepreneur and abolitionist
| known_for = First African-American to hold a [[patent]], granted in 1821 for his method of dry cleaning
| spouse = Elizabeth
| children = 3, inc. [[Elizabeth Jennings Graham|Elizabeth Jennings]]
}}

⚫
'''Thomas L. Jennings''' (c. 1791 – February 12, 1859) was an [[African-American]] [[Inventor (patent)|inventor]], [[tradesman]], [[Entrepreneurship|entrepreneur]], and [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] in [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. He has the distinction of being the first African-American [[patent]]-holder in history; he was granted the patent in 1821 for his novel method of [[dry cleaning]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biography of Thomas Jennings, First African American Patent Holder|first=Mary |last=Bellis|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/thomas-jennings-inventor-1991311|date=July 3, 2019|access-date=2021-02-21|website=ThoughtCo|language=en}}</ref> Jennings' invention, along with his business expertise, yielded a significant personal fortune, much of which he put into the [[abolitionist movement]] in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-11-26|title=Thomas Jennings|url=https://blackinventor.com/thomas-jennings/|access-date=2021-02-21|website=The Black Inventor Online Museum|language=en-US}}</ref>


==Early life and family==
==Early life and family==
Thomas L. Jennings was born on January 1, 1791, to a free African-American family in New York City.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Manos|first=Nick|date=2009-02-02|title=Thomas L. Jennings (1791-1856) •|url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/jennings-thomas-l-1791-1856/|access-date=2021-02-21|language=en-US}}</ref> He later married a woman named Elizabeth, who was born a slave in Delaware, 1798 and died March 5, 1873.<ref>Death Record NYC #cn 142327</ref> Under New York's gradual abolition law of 1799, she was converted to the status of an [[indentured servant]] and was not eligible for full emancipation until 1827. It freed slave children born after July 4, 1799, but only after they had served “apprenticeships” of twenty-eight years for men and twenty-five for women (far longer than traditional apprenticeships designed to teach a young person a craft), thus compensating owners for the future loss of their property.<ref name="Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad">[http://www.archives.nysed.gov/education/showcase/201011afamvoting/index.shtml "African American Voting Rights"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109220448/http://www.archives.nysed.gov/education/showcase/201011afamvoting/index.shtml |date=2010-11-09 }}, Longreads, accessed 17 July 2019</ref><ref name = "lr_slavery">{{cite web|url = https://longreads.com/2015/04/30/slavery-and-freedom-new-york-city/|title = Slavery and Freedom in New York City|date=1 January 2015|accessdate = 2019-07-17|publisher = W. W. Norton & Company}}</ref>
Thomas L. Jennings was born in about 1791, to a free African-American family in New York City.<ref name=Blackpast>{{Cite web|last=Manos|first=Nick|date=2009-02-02|title=Thomas L. Jennings (1791-1856) |url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/jennings-thomas-l-1791-1856/|website=[[Blackpast.org]]|access-date=2021-02-21|language=en-US}}</ref> He later married a woman named Elizabeth, who was born a slave in [[Delaware]] in 1798 and died in March 5, 1873.<ref>Death Record NYC #cn 142327</ref> Under New York's gradual abolition law of 1799, she was converted to the status of an [[indentured servant]] and was not eligible for full emancipation until 1827. It freed slave children born after July 4, 1799, but only after they had served “apprenticeships” of twenty-eight years for men and twenty-five for women (far longer than traditional apprenticeships designed to teach a young person a craft), thus compensating owners for the future loss of their property.<ref name="Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad">[http://www.archives.nysed.gov/education/showcase/201011afamvoting/index.shtml "Document Showcase: African American Voting Rights"]. New York State Archives. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109220448/http://www.archives.nysed.gov/education/showcase/201011afamvoting/index.shtml |date=November 9, 2010 }}, Longreads. Retrieved 17 July 2019</ref><ref name = "lr_slavery">{{cite web|url = https://longreads.com/2015/04/30/slavery-and-freedom-new-york-city/|title = Slavery and Freedom in New York City|date=1 January 2015|accessdate = 2019-07-17|publisher = W. W. Norton & Company}}</ref>


Jennings and his wife had three children: Matilda Jennings (b. 1824, d. 1886), [[Elizabeth Jennings Graham|Elizabeth Jennings]] (b. March 1827 d. June 5, 1901), and James E. Jennings (b. 1832 d. May 5, 1860). Matilda Jennings was a dressmaker and wife of James A. Thompson, a [[Freemasonry|Mason]]. Elizabeth Jennings became a schoolteacher, activist, and church organist <ref name="greider">{{Cite news|last=Greider|first=Katherine|date=13 November 2005|title=The Schoolteacher on the Streetcar|work=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/nyregion/thecity/13jenn.html?pagewanted=all|accessdate=2008-09-24}}</ref> and was the wife of Charles Graham, whom she married on June 18, 1860. James E. Jennings was a public school teacher and musician.
Jennings and his wife had three children: Matilda Jennings Thompson (1824–1886), [[Elizabeth Jennings Graham]] ( March 1827–June 5, 1901), and James E. Jennings (1832–May 5, 1860). Matilda was a dressmaker and wife of James A. Thompson, a [[Freemasonry|Mason]]. Elizabeth became a schoolteacher, activist, and church organist <ref name="greider">{{Cite news|last=Greider|first=Katherine|date=13 November 2005|title=The Schoolteacher on the Streetcar|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20150529182028/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/nyregion/thecity/the-schoolteacher-on-the-streetcar.html |archive-date=May 29, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/nyregion/thecity/13jenn.html?pagewanted=all|accessdate=2008-09-24}}</ref> and married Charles Graham on June 18, 1860. James was a public school teacher and musician.


==Professional career==
==Professional career==
Jennings was a tailor who later opened a dry cleaning business in New York City. {{Citation needed|date=February 2022}} He eventually opened his own store on Church Street, which became one of the largest clothing stores in New York City.
Thomas L. Jennings was a tailor who later opened a dry cleaning business in New York City.<ref name=Blackpast /> He eventually opened his own store on Church Street, which became one of the largest clothing stores in New York City.


Thomas developed his dry cleaning process called dry-scouring as a tailor. His customers often complained of their clothes being ruined by stains, so he started experimenting with different chemicals that could protect the fabric while removing stains. Thomas Jennings earned a large amount of money as a tailor and with his dry scouring invention made even more. Thomas spent the majority of his money on abolitionist activities. In 1831, Thomas Jennings became the assistant secretary for the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, PA.
Thomas developed his dry-cleaning process called dry-scouring as a tailor. His customers often complained of their clothes being ruined by stains, so he started experimenting with different chemicals that could protect the fabric while removing stains. Jennings patented his process named "dry scouring clothes" on March 3, 1821.<ref>''US Secretary of State - Patent List 1821'' [https://archive.org/details/us-secretary-of-state-patent-list-1821/page/n4/mode/1up p. 18]</ref>
Thomas L. Jennings earned a large amount of money as a tailor and with his dry scouring invention made even more. Thomas spent the majority of his money on abolitionist activities. In 1831, Thomas Jennings became the assistant secretary for the [[Pennsylvania State Equal Rights League Convention|First Annual Convention of the People of Color]] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.


==Civil rights activism and legacy ==
==Civil rights activism and legacy ==
Jennings was a leader for the cause of abolitionism and African-American civil rights in the United States.
Jennings was a leader in the cause of abolitionism and African-American civil rights in the United States.


In 1831, Jennings was selected as assistant secretary to the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], which met in June of that year.
In 1831, Jennings was selected as assistant secretary to the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], which met in June of that year.


After his daughter, [[Elizabeth Jennings Graham|Elizabeth Jennings]], was forcibly removed from a "whites only" New York City streetcar in 1854, he organized a movement against racial segregation in public transit in the city. He helped arrange her legal defense, which included the young future [[President of the United States|President]] [[Chester Arthur]], and won her case in 1855. Along with [[James McCune Smith]] and Rev. [[James W.C. Pennington]], Jennings created the [[Legal Rights Association]] later in that year, a pioneering minority-rights organization.<ref name="greider" /> Its members organized additional challenges to discrimination and segregation, and gained legal representation to take cases to court. In 1865, a decade after Elizabeth Jennings won her case, New York City streetcar companies stopped practicing segregation.<ref>Volk, Kyle G. (2014). ''Moral Minorities and the Making of American Democracy''. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 146–151, 164-166. {{ISBN|019937192X}}.</ref>
After his daughter, [[Elizabeth Jennings Graham|Elizabeth Jennings]], was forcibly removed from a "whites only" New York City streetcar in 1854, he organized a movement against racial segregation in public transit in the city. He helped arrange her legal defense, which included the young future [[President of the United States|President]] [[Chester Arthur]], and won her case in 1855. Along with [[James McCune Smith]] and Rev. [[James W. C. Pennington]], Jennings created the [[Legal Rights Association]] later in that year, a pioneering minority-rights organization.<ref name="greider" /> Its members organized additional challenges to discrimination and segregation and gained legal representation to take cases to court. In 1865, a decade after Elizabeth Jennings won her case, New York City streetcar companies stopped practicing segregation.<ref>Volk, Kyle G. (2014). ''Moral Minorities and the Making of American Democracy''. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 146–151, 164–166. {{ISBN|019937192X}}.</ref>


He was active on issues related to emigration to other countries; opposing colonization in Africa, as proposed by the [[American Colonization Society]]; and supporting expansion of suffrage for African-American men.<ref name="leslie">Alexander, Leslie M. ''African or American? Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861,'' (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2008), p. 192 f8</ref>
Jennings was active on issues related to emigration to other countries; opposing colonization in Africa, as proposed by the [[American Colonization Society]]; and supporting the expansion of suffrage. John Jennings was a prominent figure in the fight against slavery and for civil rights for African Americans in the United States. In 1831, he was appointed as assistant secretary to the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.


He founded and was a trustee of the [[Abyssinian Baptist Church]], a pillar in the Harlem African-American community.<ref name="leslie" />
Jennings founded and was a trustee of the Abyssinian Baptist Church, a significant institution in the Harlem African American community. He was a prominent figure in the fight against slavery and for civil rights for African Americans in the United States. In 1831, he was appointed as assistant secretary to the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Thomas L. Jennings died in 1859 in New York City.<ref name="leslie">Alexander, Leslie M. ''African or American? Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861'' (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2008), p. 192, f8.</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
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[[Category:19th-century American inventors]]
[[Category:19th-century American inventors]]
[[Category:African-American inventors]]
[[Category:1790s births]]
[[Category:Pre-emancipation African-American history]]
[[Category:1859 deaths]]
[[Category:1791 births]]
[[Category:1856 deaths]]
[[Category:African-American abolitionists]]
[[Category:African-American abolitionists]]
[[Category:African-American inventors]]

Latest revision as of 18:00, 1 September 2024

Thomas L. Jennings
Bornc. 1791
New York City, U.S.
DiedFebruary 11, 1859(1859-02-11) (aged 68)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Inventor, entrepreneur and abolitionist
Known forFirst African-American to hold a patent, granted in 1821 for his method of dry cleaning
SpouseElizabeth
Children3, inc. Elizabeth Jennings

Thomas L. Jennings (c. 1791 – February 12, 1859) was an African-American inventor, tradesman, entrepreneur, and abolitionist in New York City, New York. He has the distinction of being the first African-American patent-holder in history; he was granted the patent in 1821 for his novel method of dry cleaning.[1] Jennings' invention, along with his business expertise, yielded a significant personal fortune, much of which he put into the abolitionist movement in the United States.[2]

Early life and family

[edit]

Thomas L. Jennings was born in about 1791, to a free African-American family in New York City.[3] He later married a woman named Elizabeth, who was born a slave in Delaware in 1798 and died in March 5, 1873.[4] Under New York's gradual abolition law of 1799, she was converted to the status of an indentured servant and was not eligible for full emancipation until 1827. It freed slave children born after July 4, 1799, but only after they had served “apprenticeships” of twenty-eight years for men and twenty-five for women (far longer than traditional apprenticeships designed to teach a young person a craft), thus compensating owners for the future loss of their property.[5][6]

Jennings and his wife had three children: Matilda Jennings Thompson (1824–1886), Elizabeth Jennings Graham ( March 1827–June 5, 1901), and James E. Jennings (1832–May 5, 1860). Matilda was a dressmaker and wife of James A. Thompson, a Mason. Elizabeth became a schoolteacher, activist, and church organist [7] and married Charles Graham on June 18, 1860. James was a public school teacher and musician.

Professional career

[edit]

Thomas L. Jennings was a tailor who later opened a dry cleaning business in New York City.[3] He eventually opened his own store on Church Street, which became one of the largest clothing stores in New York City.

Thomas developed his dry-cleaning process called dry-scouring as a tailor. His customers often complained of their clothes being ruined by stains, so he started experimenting with different chemicals that could protect the fabric while removing stains. Jennings patented his process named "dry scouring clothes" on March 3, 1821.[8]

Thomas L. Jennings earned a large amount of money as a tailor and with his dry scouring invention made even more. Thomas spent the majority of his money on abolitionist activities. In 1831, Thomas Jennings became the assistant secretary for the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Civil rights activism and legacy

[edit]

Jennings was a leader in the cause of abolitionism and African-American civil rights in the United States.

In 1831, Jennings was selected as assistant secretary to the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which met in June of that year.

After his daughter, Elizabeth Jennings, was forcibly removed from a "whites only" New York City streetcar in 1854, he organized a movement against racial segregation in public transit in the city. He helped arrange her legal defense, which included the young future President Chester Arthur, and won her case in 1855. Along with James McCune Smith and Rev. James W. C. Pennington, Jennings created the Legal Rights Association later in that year, a pioneering minority-rights organization.[7] Its members organized additional challenges to discrimination and segregation and gained legal representation to take cases to court. In 1865, a decade after Elizabeth Jennings won her case, New York City streetcar companies stopped practicing segregation.[9]

Jennings was active on issues related to emigration to other countries; opposing colonization in Africa, as proposed by the American Colonization Society; and supporting the expansion of suffrage. John Jennings was a prominent figure in the fight against slavery and for civil rights for African Americans in the United States. In 1831, he was appointed as assistant secretary to the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jennings founded and was a trustee of the Abyssinian Baptist Church, a significant institution in the Harlem African American community. He was a prominent figure in the fight against slavery and for civil rights for African Americans in the United States. In 1831, he was appointed as assistant secretary to the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Thomas L. Jennings died in 1859 in New York City.[10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bellis, Mary (July 3, 2019). "Biography of Thomas Jennings, First African American Patent Holder". ThoughtCo. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  2. ^ "Thomas Jennings". The Black Inventor Online Museum. November 26, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Manos, Nick (February 2, 2009). "Thomas L. Jennings (1791-1856)". Blackpast.org. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Death Record NYC #cn 142327
  5. ^ "Document Showcase: African American Voting Rights". New York State Archives. Archived November 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Longreads. Retrieved 17 July 2019
  6. ^ "Slavery and Freedom in New York City". W. W. Norton & Company. January 1, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Greider, Katherine (November 13, 2005). "The Schoolteacher on the Streetcar". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  8. ^ US Secretary of State - Patent List 1821 p. 18
  9. ^ Volk, Kyle G. (2014). Moral Minorities and the Making of American Democracy. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 146–151, 164–166. ISBN 019937192X.
  10. ^ Alexander, Leslie M. African or American? Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861 (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2008), p. 192, f8.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Alexander, Leslie M. African or American? Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861, (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2008), chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6
  • Potter, Joan. African American Firsts (New York: Kensington Publishing Group, 2002)
  • Volk, Kyle G. (2014). Moral Minorities and the Making of American Democracy. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 146–151. ISBN 019937192X.
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