The names, Alexander Bell and Thomas Edison will no doubt be familiar to you. But what about the name, Granville T Woods?

Woods was a contemporary of Edison and Bell. He was a great electrician and an inventive genius, but he did not receive the same amount of recognition for his work as Edison and Bell.
Why was this?
a) He did not work as hard.
b) His inventions turned out to be failures.
c) Because of the colour of his skin.

The answer is c). Granville T Woods was an African-American and because of the prejudices he encountered, he had to work twice as hard to achieve over 60 patents on his inventions, so answer a) is far from the truth. As for answer b), one of his inventions alone has saved the lives of many.

Granville was born on 23rd April, 1856 in Columbus, Ohio. Little is known about his early years, but we do know that he attended school until the age of ten, when he was forced to leave because his family was so poor. He worked as an apprentice in a railroad machine shop, but not content with learning the skills of a machinist and a blacksmith, he paid a foreman to teach him mechanics in his spare time.
Can you imagine paying for your schooling today?



Slavery had been abolished in Ohio in 1787, but the state did enforce the so-called ‘Black Laws’, which regulated the activities of black people. The Laws made it difficult for black people to get an education, but Granville endeavoured to educate himself. He even found it difficult to borrow library books and had to ask his white friends to loan the books, since African-Americans were excluded from many libraries at that time.

So what did Granville do in his spare time? Did he hang out in saloons with wild men and even wilder women? No, he did something far more ‘shocking’ than that. He read at length about electricity!

During his time on the railroad, Woods developed a passion for trains and dreamed of becoming an engineer. After moving around for a couple of years and taking a mechanical engineering course at college, he eventually became an engineer aboard a British steam ship called the Ironside. He visited nearly every country in the world.

Despite his extensive knowledge and experience, Granville realised he’d never get very far in these jobs because of the colour of his skin. But instead of giving up, he formed his own company, along with his brother, Lyates. During this time, Woods patented his most noted invention, the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph.

In the 1880s, trains operated smoothly, thanks to the lubricating devices of Elijah McCoy. Unfortunately, there were still many crashes because unscheduled trains often collided with one another. Woods’ Multiplex Telegraph made it possible for trains to communicate with the station and with other trains so they knew exactly where they were at all times. This invention made train movements quicker and prevented countless accidents and collisions.

Unfortunately, Granville learnt that success came at a price when Thomas Edison took him to court, claiming that the Multiplex Telegraph was Edison’s invention. A long court battle ensued, but eventually Woods won the case. However, this was not the end of the story. Trying to win Woods and his inventions over, or perhaps feeling guilty with what he’d done, Edison offered Woods a partnership in his company. Woods, who was very much an independent man, declined.



Amongst Granville’s other inventions was the ‘Telegraphony’, which was a combination of Alexander Bell’s telephone and the telegraph. It could send both oral and signal messages over the same line. Woods sold his invention to Alexander Bell’s company and made a lot of money. He could now use this money to become a full-time inventor.

Woods’ other inventions included a steam boiler furnace, amusement park apparatus, an automatic air brake and an electric battery. He also invented the electrified ‘third rail’ now used by subway systems in large cities such as Chicago and New York. One day, Granville hatched an idea. He invented an electrically heated egg incubator which made it possible to hatch 50 000 eggs at one time.



When Granville T Woods died in 1910, his inventions had improved the lives of many. He was a great inventor, electrician and above all he was a great person, who overcame the many prejudices against him. He refused to join Edison’s company, instead remaining an independent person and living his dream, which all began with a passion for the railroad. Woods was known to many as ‘The Black Edison’, but should we be referring to Thomas Edison as ‘The White Woods’ instead?



Catholic Tribune, January 14, 1886.
Granville T. Woods, the greatest coloured inventor in the history of the race and equal, if not superior, to any inventor in the country, is destined to revolutionise the mode of street car transit.

Catholic Tribune, April 1, 1887
Mr. Woods, who is the greatest electrician in the world, still continues to add to his long list of electrical inventions.

It is good to know that Woods received recognition during his lifetime and not just after it. The next time you hear someone mention Thomas Edison and Alexander Bell, make sure you let them know about Granville T Woods.

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