LEWIS LATIMER

Lewis Howard Latimer
Born: September 4, 1848, Chelsea, Massachusetts
Died December 11, 1928, Queens, New York City

In 1874, he co-patented (with Charles M. Brown) an improved toilet system for railroad cars called the Water Closet for Railroad Cars (U.S. Patent 147,363).
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell employed Latimer, then a draftsman at Bell's patent law firm, to draft the necessary drawings required to receive a patent for Bell's telephone.
Although Thomas Edison is generally credited with inventing the light bulb, his design used a paper filament which would burn out quickly. In 1881, Latimer invented and patented a carbon filament which allowed lights to shine continuously.