 Garrett
Augustus Morgan was born on March 4, 1877, in Paris, Kentucky. He was the seventh of
eleven children. His parents were former slaves. Like the majority of children at the
time, he spent his early childhood working with his brothers and sisters on the family
farm. His formal education stopped at the 6th grade. He left the farm as a
teenager and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in search of new opportunities. He found such an
opportunity and in 1895 he moved to Cleveland, Ohio. He went to work as a sewing machine
repair man for a clothing manufacturer. While attempting to repair a sewing
machine he created and patented the first chemical hair straightener! He excelled at his
job and news of his excellent work led to many job offers.In 1907, he started his own firm repairing sewing equipment.
It was the first of several business that he would establish. His business grew to over 32
employees and by 1909 his firm was manufacturing coats, suits and dresses. These
products were manufactured with the technology that Morgan invented.
 Morgan continued his
quest for technological excellence. In 1912, he invented the first gas mask. He received a
patent for it in 1914. On July 25, 1916, Morgan made national news for using his gas
mask to rescue several men trapped during an explosion in an underground tunnel beneath
Lake Erie. Following the rescue, Morgan's company was bombarded with requests from fire
departments around the country that wished to purchase the new life-saving masks.
In 1920, he moved into publishing. He established the
newspaper The Cleveland Call.
 The first American
made automobiles were introduced to the U.S. in the late 1800's. The Ford Motor Company
was founded in1903. The nation was just starting to enjoy the open road. During this time,
it was not unusual for bicycles, animal powered wagons and automobiles to share the same
roadway with pedestrians. Accidents were frequent and bloody. Mr. Morgan, after witnessing
such a bloody collision between and automobile and horse-drawn carriage, decided that
something should be done about the flow of traffic to improve safety. While others tried
and failed in the past, Morgan was successful at engineering and patenting his device. His
patent was granted on November 20, 1923. He also patented his technology in Great Britain
and Canada.
The Morgan traffic signal was a T-shaped pole that featured
three positions: Stop, Go and an all-directional stop position. The third position halted
traffic in all directions before it allowed travel to resume on either of the
intersection's perpendicular roads. This feature not only made it safer for motorists to
pass through intersections, but also allowed pedestrians to cross more safely.
At night or at other times when traffic was minimal, the
Morgan signal could be positioned in a "half-mast" posture, alerting approaching
motorists to proceed through the intersection with caution. The half mast position had the
same signaling effect as the flashing red and yellow lights of today's traffic signals.
Morgan eventually sold the technological rights to his invention to General Electric
Corporation.
As word spread across North America and England about
Morgan's life saving inventions, such as the gas mask and the traffic signal, the demand
for these products grew far beyond his wildest dreams. He was frequently invited to speak
at conventions and exhibitions around the country to showcase his technology.
Shortly before his death, in 1963, Morgan was awarded a
citation for the traffic signal by the U.S. Government.
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