Did you ever wonder why there are so few black engineers? Could it be because the wealth gap keeps a lot of black kids out of college? For every $100 in white wealth, there is only $15 in black wealth. Perhaps when they get to college, they find out their white classmates were better prepared? The situation sucks, but years ago it sucked worse. Luckily, talent and perseverance often transcend a difficult situation. In honor of US federal holiday Juneteenth, we present some notable black engineers, with a bent toward days of yore. If you have any suggestions for this page, send them our way!
Elijah McCoy (1844 – 1929)
Elijah McCoy was born on May 2, 1844, in Canada, to parents who had escaped slavery in Kentucky. The family later moved back to the United States when McCoy was quite young. His parents eventually sent him to school in Scotland where he studied mechanical engineering.
When he returned to the US, however, he was unable to find work as an engineer, so he took a job with the Michigan Central Railroad as a fireman and oiler. While working for the railroad, McCoy invented an automatic lubricator that allowed trains to run for extended periods without pausing for maintenance. This innovation was so effective and popular that it inspired the term “the real McCoy” to indicate that a given device was the one actually invented by Elijah McCoy, and not a cheap copy.
McCoy went on to register 57 U.S. patents, many focused on lubrication technology.
Lewis Latimer (1848 – 1928)
Lewis Latimer was born the son of an escaped slave in 1848. At the age of 16, he enlisted in the Union Navy where taught himself mechanical drawing during the Civil War. After the war, he took a job as a draftsman for a patent attorney. He worked with Thomas Edison to improve the original light bulb design with the use of a carbon filament. He worked with Alexander Graham Bell drawing the graphics that helped to obtain the actual telephone patent. He earned at total of 7 patents, including an early version of an air conditioner and a locking hat rack.
Latimer published a book in 1890 called "Incandescent electric lighting: a practical description of the Edison system" describing how incandescent lamps produce light. He also taught mechanical engineering, drawing, and English to immigrants in New York City.
Granville T. Woods (1856 – 1910)
Granville T. Woods was born in Columbus, Ohio, and spent much of his youth working a variety of jobs throughout the railroad and steel industries. By the time he was 20 (in 1876), he realized that electricity was the future, so he moved to New York City and took classes in engineering and electricity. On his return to Cincinnati in 1880, Woods started a company that designed, manufactured, and sold electrical apparatus. His inventions included the inductor or multiplex telegraph, which allowed for voice communication over telegraph wires, an improved telephone transmitter, and the troller, a special wheel that enabled street cars to collect electricity from overhead wires.
Woods registered more than 50 patents, mostly in the telecommunication and transportation industries. Due to his myriad of inventions, he was often referred to as the “Black Edison.”
William Hunter Dammond (1869 – 1956)
William Hunter Dammond was born in 1869 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and became the first African American to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Engineering.
He is best remembered for his invention of an electric track circuit, a componenet of railway signaling systems that imporved communication and signaling between different sections of a railway track.
Garrett Morgan (1877–1963)
Garrett Morgan
Garrett Morgan was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where he eventually ran a sewing machine repair business and tailoring shop. In 1923, he received a patent for a new type of stoplight that added the third "wait" signal in between the existing Stop and Go lights. He later sold his patent to General Electric Corporation for $40,000. Morgan also invented a “smoke hood” in 1916 that he used to help rescue eight tunnel construction workers after an explosion trapped them under Lake Erie, and received a patent for an early version of a gas mask.
David Crosthwait Jr. (1898 – 1976)
Born in the late 19th century, David Crosthwait Jr. specialized in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, making significant strides in a field that’s crucial to modern building design. One of his most distinguished accomplishments is the design of the heating system for the renowned Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
As an expert in his field, Crosthwait authored numerous papers and was recognized for his contributions by receiving a fellowship from the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers. With over 40 patents to his name, his innovations encompassed heat transfer, ventilation, and air conditioning.
Annie Easley (1933 – 2011)
Annie Easley (1933–2011) is the woman behind the Centaur rocket, which boosted satellites into orbit and propelled probes to space, as well as early hybrid vehicles. As a “human computer,” Annie developed and implemented code to research energy conversion and alternative power technology, such as for solar, wind, and energy projects.
Born in Birmingham, AL, before the Civil Rights Movement, Annie attended a segregated school. After high school, she attended Xavier University in New Orleans, LA, to obtain a pharmacy degree. Before she graduated, marriage brought Annie to Cleveland, OH. However, the local college no longer offered a pharmacy program. In need of a job, Annie searched the newspaper and was inspired by an article written about two sisters who worked as “computers” for the organization now known as NASA. She applied for the job the next day and was hired to weeks later—one of only four African Americans out of 2,500 employees.
While working for the agency, Annie continued her education, and in 1977, obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Cleveland State University. As part of her continuing education, Easley took specialized courses offered by NASA. She retired after an extraordinary 34-year career.
Jerry Lawson (1940 – 2011)
Jerry Lawson, born in 1940 in Brooklyn, New York, was always intrigued by electronics and innovation. He led the team that developed the Fairchild Channel F console in the mid-1970s. This console was the first home video game system that utilized interchangeable game cartridges, paving the way for the future of gaming. The cartridge system meant that players could purchase and use different game cartridges on the same console, a model that became standard in the industry.
Guion Bluford (1942 - )
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. earned his undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He joined NASA’s astronaut program in 1978, and became the first African-American to travel to space on August 30, 1983, as a mission specialist on the STS-8 flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Bluford went on to several other space shuttle missions for a total of 688 hours in space.
After retiring from the Air Force and NASA, Bluford went to work in the private sector in leading roles at companies including the Aerospace Sector of Federal Data Corporation, Northrop Grumman. He founded his own consulting company, Aerospace Technology Group, where he continues to provide engineering support, business development, risk assessment, and engineering analysis to the aerospace industry.
Bluford was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1997, the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010, and the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2019.
Walt Braithwaite (1945 - )
Walt Braithwaite’s contributions to aviation and aerospace are invaluable. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he moved to the United States to pursue his dreams in engineering. Joining Boeing, one of the world’s leading aerospace companies, he swiftly became an influential figure within the corporation.
Braithwaite was instrumental in the development of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) tools that revolutionized how airplanes were designed and assembled.
These innovations not only led to significant efficiency improvements but also enhanced the precision and safety of aircraft design and manufacturing.
Recognizing the broader applications of this technology, Braithwaite also championed the creation of the Boeing Computer Services business unit, which aimed to commercialize the CAD/CAM technology across different industries.
Throughout his tenure at Boeing, his visionary leadership and relentless pursuit of innovation made him a pivotal figure in modern aerospace engineering.
Mae Jemison (1956 - )
Mae Carol Jemison was born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, and later grew up in Chicago, Illinois, where she nurtured an early passion for science.
After attending Stanford University on a National Achievement Scholarship, she graduated in 1977 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a B.A. in African and Afro-American Studies.
Mae Jemison later earned her M.D. from Cornell Medical College in 1981. Not one to be confined by earthly boundaries, Jemison joined NASA’s astronaut program and in 1992 became the first African American woman to travel to space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Beyond her contributions to space exploration, Jemison has been an advocate for science education, particularly for underrepresented groups.
Mark E. Dean (1957 - )
A modern technological titan, Mark Dean was born in 1957 in Jefferson City, Tennessee. An innovator at heart, he pursued electrical engineering and became a critical figure at IBM.
Dean co-invented the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) system bus, which allows for computer components like disk drives and printers to be plugged directly into computers.
This was just the beginning of his illustrious career. He was also integral to the development of the first color PC monitor, and his work led to the creation of the first gigahertz chip.
Holding over 20 patents and being inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Dean’s work has shaped the trajectory of computer engineering and design.
Aprille Ericsson-Jackson (1963 - )
Aprille Ericsson-Jackson is celebrated for her pioneering role in aerospace engineering. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she was deeply curious and fascinated by space from a young age. This curiosity drove her to pursue her education in engineering.
After obtaining her undergraduate degree, she moved forward to achieve higher academic accomplishments, becoming the first African American woman to receive a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Howard University.
Furthermore, she was also the first African American woman to acquire a Ph.D. in Engineering at NASA’s prestigious Goddard Space Flight Center. Throughout her career at NASA, Ericsson-Jackson has been involved in various projects, from satellite missions studying Earth to proposals that aim to explore outer planets.
Her passion for science extends beyond her own work; she has been an active advocate for promoting STEM education, particularly among young women and underrepresented minorities.
From March, 2025 to January 2025, she served as the United State’s Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology under President Joe Biden.
Jessica O. Matthews (1988 - )
Jessica O. Matthews (1988-) is an entrepreneur and inventor who first made her mark at just 19 years old with the invention of SOCCKET, an energy-generating soccer ball. Her teenage discovery and genuine inquisitiveness led her to disrupt the tech industry and innovate new ways to generate power to meet the needs of people, businesses, and communities worldwide.
At the age of 22, Jessica founded Uncharted, a power solutions company that helps cities reduce the cost of developing smart infrastructure. As the company’s Founder and CEO, Jessica and her team connect communities to the resources they need to transform their environments to be more intelligent and inclusive, while also leveraging data to achieve the highest level of infrastructural operation and optimization. In 2021, Jessica was appointed by Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm to the Electricity Advisory Committee. As a member of the Smart Grid subcommittee, she plays a key role in advising the Department of Energy on the ways we can modernize our nation’s electric delivery system.