Philip B. Downing
Philip Bell Downing | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 22, 1857 Providence, Rhode Island |
| Died | June 8, 1934 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | African American |
| Occupation | Inventor |
| Years active | 77 |
| Known for | Improvements of street letter box, and operating street railway switches. |
Philip B. Downing (1857-1934) was an African American inventor from Providence, Rhode Island. He is best known for his two most significant inventions; the street letter box (though not the first street letter box patent), and operating street railway switches. Philip had a long career in Boston, Massachusetts as a postal clerk. Shortly after 1880, when Philip met and married Evangeline Howard, he had two children. He retired in 1927 after working for more than thirty years. In total, at least five patents were filed by Philip with the United States Patent Office. Around this time, census records indicate that Philip had moved to Boston, Massachusetts.
References
 | This article about an American inventor is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- ^ "Philip B. Downing (1857-1934) •". 31 October 2017.
- ^ "Philip Downing invented the modern-day letterbox". 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Philip Bell Downing". 16 October 2019.
- ^ "Little Known Black History Fact: Phillip Downing". 29 October 2019.