Thomas L Jennings

Thomas L. Jennings was the first black man to receive a patent. The patent was awarded on March 3, 1821 (US Patent 3306x) for his discovery of a process called dry-scouring which was the forerunner of today’s modern dry-cleaning. Jennings was born free in New York City, New York in 1791. Jennings invented a process called ‘dry scouring,’ a forerunner of modern dry cleaning. He patented the process in 1821, making him likely the first black person in America to receive a patent.... Thomas L. Jennings, 1791 – February 12, 1859, was a Harlem inventor, tradesman, entrepreneur, and abolitionist founded and was a trustee of the Abyssinian Baptist Church.

Thomas L. Jennings, 1791 – February 12, 1859, was a Harlem inventor, tradesman, entrepreneur, and abolitionist founded and was a trustee of the Abyssinian Baptist Church. Thomas Jennings was the first African American to receive a patent, on March 3, 1821. His patent was for a dry-cleaning process called “dry scouring”. The first money Thomas Jennings earned from his patent was spent on the legal fees necessary to liberate his family out of slavery and support the abolitionist cause. Thomas L. Jennings was the first African American granted a patent by the United States, but he was also a shrewd businessman, an ardent abolitionist and a civil rights leader. Thomas Jennings invented a process he called "dry-scouring," receiving a patent in 1821 and becoming the first African American to be granted a patent. His dry scouring process was a predecessor to today's dry cleaning methods. Thomas L. Jennings was likely the first Black person in the U.S. to receive a patent. In 1821, he was granted a patent for “dry scouring,” a method for cleaning clothes that preceded modern-day dry cleaning. Jennings is also renowned for being a leader in the civil rights and abolitionist movement in New York City.

Thomas L. Jennings was the first African American granted a patent by the United States, but he was also a shrewd businessman, an ardent abolitionist and a civil rights leader. Thomas Jennings invented a process he called "dry-scouring," receiving a patent in 1821 and becoming the first African American to be granted a patent. His dry scouring process was a predecessor to today's dry cleaning methods. Thomas L. Jennings was likely the first Black person in the U.S. to receive a patent. In 1821, he was granted a patent for “dry scouring,” a method for cleaning clothes that preceded modern-day dry cleaning. Jennings is also renowned for being a leader in the civil rights and abolitionist movement in New York City. Thomas Jennings stands in history as a noteworthy figure for being the first Black person to ever receive a patent, but his life should serve as an example of what was, and what could have been, for Black people in the earliest years of the United States.