When Morgan was in his mid-teens, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to look for work, and became a handyman to a wealthy landowner. Although he only had an elementary school education, Morgan was able to pay for more lessons from a private tutor. 1895, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he began repairing sewing machines for a clothing manufacturer. This experience with repairing sewing machines was the inspiration for Morgan's interest in how things work. His first invention, developed during this period, was a belt fastener for sewing machines. In 1907, Morgan opened up his own sewing machine and shoe repair shop. During this time, he obtained a patent for an improved sewing machine. In 1909, he and his wife Mary Anne expanded their business ventures by opening a shop called Morgan's Cut Rate Ladies Clothing Store. The shop had 32 employees, and made coats, suits, dresses, and other clothing.
Following the momentum of his business success, Morgan's patented sewing machine would soon pave the way to his financial freedom. In 1909, Morgan was working with sewing machines in his newly opened tailoring shop when he encountered woolen fabric that had been scorched by a sewing-machine needle. It was a common problem at the time, since sewing-machine needles ran at such high speeds. In hopes of alleviating the problem, Morgan experimented with a chemical solution in an effort to reduce friction created by the needle, and subsequently noticed that the hairs of the cloth were straighter.
After trying his solution to good effect on a neighboring dog's fur, Morgan finally tested the concoction on himself. When that worked, he quickly established the G.A. Morgan Hair Refining Company and sold the cream to African Americans. The company was incredibly successful.
In 1914, Morgan patented a breathing device, or "safety hood," providing its wearers with a safer breathing experience in the presence of smoke, gases, and other pollutants. Morgan worked hard to market the device, especially to fire departments, often personally demonstrating its reliability in fires. Morgan's breathing device became the prototype and precursor for the gas masks used during World War I, protecting soldiers from toxic gas used in warfare. The invention earned him the first prize at the Second International Exposition of Safety and Sanitation in New York City.
There was some resistance to Morgan's devices among buyers, particularly in the South, where racial tension remained. In an effort to counteract the resistance to his products, Morgan hired a white actor to pose as "the inventor" during presentations of his breathing device; Morgan would pose as the inventor's sidekick, disguised as a Native American man named "Big Chief Mason," and, wearing the safety hood, enter areas otherwise unsafe for breathing. The tactic was successful; sales of the device were vast, especially from firefighters and rescue workers.
In 1916, the city of Cleveland was drilling a new tunnel under Lake Erie for a fresh water supply. Workers hit a pocket of natural gas, which resulted in a huge explosion and trapped workers underground amidst suffocating noxious fumes and dust. When Morgan heard about the explosion, he and his brother put on safety hoods, made their way to the tunnel, and entered as quickly as possible. The brothers managed to save two lives and recover four bodies. Despite his efforts, the publicity that Morgan gained from the incident hurt sale. The public was now fully aware that Morgan was an African American, and many refused to purchase his products. He was nominated for a Carnegie Medal for his efforts, but ultimately wasn't chosen to receive the award.
The first black man in Cleveland to own a car, Morgan worked on his mechanical skills and developed a friction drive clutch. After witnessing a carriage accident in a problematic intersection in 1923, he created a new kind of traffic signal, one with a warning light to alert drivers that they would need to stop. Morgan quickly acquired patents for his traffic signal, a version of the modern three-way traffic light, in the United States, Britain, and Canada. Though his was not the first traffic signal, London installed that in 1868, his was the first with three positions. It regulated crossing vehicles more safely than the earlier signals.
Garrett Morgan died in Cleveland, Ohio on July 27, 1963. He began developing glaucoma in 1943, and lost most of his sight. Just before his death, Morgan was honored by the U.S. government for improving and saving countless lives worldwide, including those of firefighters, soldiers, and vehicle operators, with his inventions.
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