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William Henry Cling

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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.

Contents

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

    • William Henry Cling William Henry Cling

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

    • William Henry Cling William Henry Cling

  • 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

    • William Henry Cling William Henry Cling

    References

    William Henry Cling Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA