Black Inventors in the Age of Segregation : Granville T. Woods, Lewis H. Latimer, and Shelby J. Davidson

This pathbreaking study examines the life and work of three African Americans: Granville Woods (1856-1910), an independent inventor; Lewis Latimer (1848-1928), a corporate engineer with General Electric; and Shelby Davidson (1868-1930), who worked in the U.S.

Treasury Department. Describing the struggles of each man to balance racial identity with a desire to be judged solely on the merit of his inventive work, Fouche provides a nuanced view of African American contributors to technology during a period of rapid industrialization.