William Henry Cling

Updated on Oct 11, 2024

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Name William Cling Nationality African-American		Occupation Inventor
Born October 1866 , Charleston, South Carolina Died February 25, 1937 (aged 70) Charleston, South Carolina Similar Lewis Howard Latimer, Garrett Morgan, George Washington Carver, Granville Woods

William Henry Cling was an African American inventor during the late 1800s and early 1900s. He is responsible for the invention and improvement of several apparel-related items as well as the creation of mechanical devices.

Early life

Cling was born in Charleston, South Carolina, shortly after the U.S. Civil War to freed slaves Edward Moulton Cling and Elizabeth Ann Richardson. He was a barber by trade, but none of his inventions were related to his craft. In several census, his race was listed as "mulatto."

Personal life

In 1885, he married Sarah Elizabeth "Lulu" Lee. They had six children—Julia, Ethel, Lela, Edward, Laura and Matilda—before Lulu died of stomach cancer in 1902.

He never retired but kept working until he died of a stroke in 1937, age 72.

Inventions

Passenger register (1896) — a mechanical device for keeping track of the number of people in attendance at a theater or fair.

Railway safety device (1905) — a device was invented to prevent head-on, or rear-end collisions of two trains moving on the same track, by providing the setting of the emergency brake. Railway Patent

Improvement in coat-stays (1906) — a device employed for holding the front breadths of coats and vests distended or stretched in such manner as to prevent wrinkling or sagging. Coat Patent

Improvement to the shoelace (1906) — Cling designed a shoelace containing wires which could be tied together with a twist. Shoelace Patent

Beds (1907/1906) — beds which fold into an upright position for people who are confined to a bed due to illness or a physical injury. Bed Patent

References

William Henry Cling Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

Contents

Early life

Personal life

Inventions

References