Granville T Woods

1856

1910

Coloumbus, Ohio, USA.

African American & American Indian

1880-1884-First company and patent
In 1880-1884 opened the Woods Electrical Company in Cincinnati and then filed his first patent on June 3rd 1884, for an improved steam boiler. His later patents were mainly for electrical devices which included his second invention, an improved telephone transmitter.
This patent for his device in which it combined the telephone and telegraph, wasbough by the Alexander Graham Bell, this allowed Woods to focus on his own research. Another one of his most important inventions was the troller, this was a grooved metal wheel that allowed street cars (trolleys) to collect electric power from overhead wires.
1884-1890 Induction Telegraph
Wood’s most important invention was the multiplex telegraph. A device which allowed people to communicate by voice over telegraph wires. This subsequently sped up important communications and prevented crucial errors and train accidents.
After receiving the patent for the multiplex telegraph, Woods reorganised his company in 1890 and he moved his operations to New York with his brother.
1900-1905 Further Inventions
Woods’ next most important invention was “the power pick-up device” in 1901, this basis is the so-called third rail and is used by electrical-powered transit systems. Among his other inventions were an automatic air brake used to slow or stop trains.

Granville was born into a mixed-race family in 1856, his mother’s name was Martha J Brown and was Indian and his father was African American Cyrus Woods. Granville attended school in Columbus until age 10 but his family’s poverty forced him into going to work as an apprentice in a machine shop. It was here, he learned the trades of a machinist and blacksmith.
Whilst working Woods took courses in fields such as engineering and electronics, he realised that education was essential if he wanted to express his creativity with machinery, some sources say he had up to two years of college course training in either electrical or mechanical engineering or both, this was possibly in an East Coast college from 1876-1872

Woods became a Fireman in Danville and Southern railroad in Missouri in 1872, he then advanced to become an engineer and continued to study electronics in his spare time. In 1874 he moved to Springfield Illinois and worked in a rolling mill, four years after that he took a job aboard the british steamer ironsides and within two years he became a chief engineer.
His travels and experiences led him to settle in Cincinnati, Ohio; it was here that he dedicated his time to modernizing the railroad and its equipment. He invented more than a dozen devices to improve electric railway cars and other devices controlling the flow of electricity. At this point the most noted invention was one which let a train engineer know how close his train was to others, this reduced the risk of collisions.
He developed systems for overhead electric conducting lines for railroads this aided the development of overheard railroad systems in the cities of Chicago, St Louis and New York to name a few, and then in 1887 he invented the induction multiplex telegraphs this was also known as the induction telegraph, this allowed two people to communicate over telegraph wires. Ultimately this sped up important communications and prevented errors. Thomas Edison tried and failed to file a lawsuit against Woods when challenging his patent for the Induction Telegraph as well as turning down Edison’s offer to make him partner. As a result of this Woods was often known as “Black Edison ”.
He set up Woods Electrical and Co in Cincinnati, a business that helped develop, manufacture and sell electrical products and apparatus. Following the patent for the Induction Telegraph he moved his research operations to New York. In his early 30’s he became interested in thermal power and steam driven engines. Leading to the patent for the improved steam boiler furnace in 1889. The next important inventions were dated from 1901-1905 and included a power pick up device( a third rail) and then a patent for an improved air-brake system.
Granville T Woods’ inventions and patents made life easier and safer for countless Americans and had a substantial impact on the safety of railroad travel. He passed away on January 30th. 1910 as a admired and well respected inventor and decades later many of his other patents have been assigned to major manufacturers of electrical equipment and remain to play a pivotal role in daily life.

Granville T. Woods | Encyclopedia.com
Granville T. Woods – Inventions, Family & Facts – Biography
Biography of Granville T. Woods, American Inventor (thoughtco.com)
Granville T.Woods, Inventor- African American History Online presents |Black History | AfricanAmericanHistoryOnline.com
Photo links
Granville T. Woods | Coney Island History Project
Granville T. Woods was a prolific Black engineer | LOGiCFACE