Granville T. Woods left school at age 10 to work in a machine shop, teaching himself electrical engineering by reading library books that friends checked out for him, since Black patrons were barred from many libraries of the era. He worked as a railroad engineer, in steel mills, and aboard a British steamship before settling in Cincinnati to found his own electrical engineering company.
In 1887 Woods patented the induction telegraph, allowing moving trains to communicate with stations and each other for the first time, dramatically reducing collisions. Thomas Edison sued him twice, claiming to have invented it first — Woods won both times, and Edison responded by offering him a partnership, which Woods declined in order to remain independent.
Over his lifetime Woods registered nearly 60 patents, including the third rail power pick-up device still used by electric transit systems today. He earned the nickname “Black Edison” for a body of work that rivalled his more famous rival's, achieved against far greater obstacles.
- Nearly 60 U.S. patents across his lifetime
- Defeated Thomas Edison twice in patent court over the induction telegraph
- Invented the power pick-up device underlying today's third-rail transit systems
- Founder of Woods Electric Co., Cincinnati
- Teach yourself the field no one will let you study formally.. He mastered electrical engineering entirely through borrowed library books.
- Defend your invention in court rather than concede to a bigger name.. He beat Edison's patent claims twice.
- Independence can be worth more than a lucrative partnership.. He turned down Edison's job offer to keep control of his own work.