About Lewis Howard Latimer
Lewis Howard Latimer (September 4, 1848 – December 11, 1928) was an American inventor and patent draftsman. His inventions included an evaporative air conditioner, an improved process for manufacturing carbon filaments for electric light bulbs, and an improved toilet system for railroad cars. In 1884, he joined the Edison Electric Light Company where he worked as a draftsman. The Lewis H. Latimer House, his landmarked former residence, is located near the Latimer Projects at 34–41 137th Street in Flushing, Queens, New York City. == Early life and military service == Lewis Howard Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, the youngest of four children of Rebecca Latimer (1823–1910) and George Latimer. Before his birth, his parents escaped from slavery in Virginia and fled to Boston in October 1842. Shortly after their arrival, George Latimer was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, and his case became a widely publicized abolitionist cause. Prominent antislavery figures, including Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison, publicly supported the effort to prevent his return to Virginia. George Latimer ultimately secured his freedom after a local Black minister, Samuel Caldwell, raised funds to purchase his release. As a child, Latimer assisted his father in his barbershop.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.