Inventor Henry Blair is recognized as the second African American to receive a patent from the United States. But who was he, and how did his inventions change the agriculture industry?
Born in Glen Ross, Maryland, in 1807, Henry Blair was an innovative African American farmer. As with many Black inventors, Blair’s private life and family history are largely unknown. However, it is assumed that he was a free farmer who had his own business. Read on to learn more about Henry Blair and his inventions.
Inventions and Patents
Blair aspired to revolutionize the agriculture industry, and he invented and patented two gadgets. His inventions intended to increase agricultural output by aiding the sowing and harvesting of crops. He passed away in the year 1860.
First Patent
On October 14, 1834, he was granted his first patent for a corn planter. A compartment in the planter held the seeds that were dropped at the proper interval as the rakes pulled behind to cover them. Farmers were able to plant their crops more quickly because of this equipment, which resulted in a higher total output.
In the Patent Office records, Henry Blair was the sole inventor who was designated as “a colored man.” While uneducated and unable to read or write, he had a genius for creation. He improved the farming and livelihoods of many farmers’ by proudly signing his name on Patent No. X8447 with a simple X.
Second Patent
August 31, 1836, saw Blair’s second patent grant for a cotton planter. Two shovel-like blades were attached to a horse or other animals to rake the ground. The freshly plowed ground was seeded by a cylinder powered by a wheel behind the blades. Weeds were kept under control, and seeds were dispersed swiftly and evenly thanks to the design.
A Patent Debate
With his two patents, Henry Blair became only the second African-American inventor to hold a position of patent ownership in the United States of America. Blair appears to be a free man, but the fact that he was granted patents does not prove that he was. During the time that Blair’s patents were obtained, the law of the United States permitted both free and enslaved men to receive patents.
In 1857, an enslaved person’s rights were contested in court by an enslaver who wanted to claim credit for their innovations. The lawsuit asserted that because an enslaver’s enslaved people were his property, whatever in their possession was also his property. The following year, patent law was amended to remove slaves from patentability.
After the American Civil War ended in 1871, the legislation was changed to allow any American males to obtain a patent for their original ideas and creations of new products regardless of race. Women were still left out of this intellectual property protection scheme.
Henry Blair: A True Innovator
Henry Blair was a man of determination and resilience. He did not let his race, lack of education, or other unfavorable circumstances of the period hold him back. Blair was mistakenly supposed to be the first African American to acquire a patent for a long time.
It was eventually discovered that Thomas Jennings got a patent for his innovation of the dry cleaning procedure in 1821. Blair died in 1860 from unspecified circumstances. Buy the book African American Inventor Package by Philip Franklin to learn about the unsung black inventors in history.