Elijah McCoy

Profession: Inventor

Nationality:

Biography: Elijah McCoy was a Canadian-American engineer and inventor of African-American descent best known for his groundbreaking inventions in steam engine lubrication, which greatly improved the efficiency and reliability of locomotives in the late 19th century. McCoy's automatic lubricators, such as the one patented in 1872, allowed trains to run for long periods without stopping for lubrication.

McCoy was born free in 1844 in Ontario to parents who had escaped enslavement in Kentucky via the Underground Railroad. He received his early education in Ontario before studying mechanical engineering at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland at the age of 15. Upon returning to North America, McCoy worked as a fireman and oiler for the Michigan Central Railroad, despite his engineering qualifications.

Throughout his career, McCoy continued to refine and patent new lubricating systems, including a notable 1898 patent for a lubricator with a glass "sight-feed" tube to monitor the flow rate. By 1899, the "McCoy lubricator" was widely used across North American railroads, as noted by the Michigan Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics.

McCoy's inventions were so well-regarded that the phrase "the real McCoy" is believed to have originated from railroad engineers requesting his authentic lubricators over inferior copies.

McCoy's achievements were recognized by prominent figures like Booker T. Washington, who noted in his 1909 book Story of the Negro that McCoy had produced more patents than any other Black inventor up to that time.

McCoy married Mary Eleanora Delaney in 1873, and she helped found the Phillis Wheatley Home for Aged Colored Men in 1898.

Over his career, McCoy obtained as many as 57 patents, mostly related to lubrication but also including inventions like a folding ironing board and lawn sprinkler. He has been honored with historical markers in Michigan, induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2001, and the naming of the Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2012.

Born: May 2, 1844
Birthplace: Colchester, Ontario, Canada
Star Sign: Taurus

Died: October 10, 1929 (aged 85)