A young black man, Elijah McCoy didn’t let discrimination deter his abilities. Educated in Scotland as an engineer, his lubrication devices enhanced the Industrial Revolution

Bravely facing the unknown, George McCoy and his wife, Mildred Goins, fled the repression of slavery in the State of Kentucky. Using the Underground Railroad, they made their way across the border into Ontario, Upper Canada, where slavery had been abolished in 1834. George McCoy enlisted and served with the British Army, receiving 160 acres of farmland near the town of Colchester, Ontario in return for his service. The family grew to 12 children and one of those was Elijah McCoy.

Elijah McCoy was born between 1843 and 1844, the date not specifically known. He was a curious boy, “fascinated with machines and tools, learning by watching and constantly asking questions,” according to Byron Crudup’s black history page. The family pulled up stakes and returned to the United States when Elijah McCoy was still a youngster, making Ypsilani, Michigan their home.

McCoy a Mechanical Engineer

At a mere 15 years old, McCoy’s parents saw Elijah’s mechanical abilities. They sent their son overseas to an apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering in Edinburgh, Scotland. Blacks were unable to gain such training in the United States at that time, said the Black History Society . Unfortunately, that same problem followed when he returned home, so that even as a qualified mechanical engineer, McCoy was unable to get work in his field of expertise. He took a job as an oil man with the railway in Michigan. It was the age of the industrial revolution and the rail line became the perfect place for an inspired mind.

Mechanical Lubricating Devices for Locomotives

The locomotive trains had to be stopped every few miles to permit oiling of the essential workings. Machinery in factories had to be shut down often for similar purposes. Workmen had to manually apply lubricant with oil cans. Noting how time-consuming and inefficient this was, McCoy created a lubricating device, a can-shaped container with an adjustable stop-cock that automatically oiled moving parts while in motion. The cup held a piston that drove a measured amount of oil onto the operating parts with steam pressure. McCoy’s invention was a revolution in the industrial world, becoming standard equipment on trains, steamships, manufacturing machinery and ocean liners.

Fifty-seven Patents under McCoy Name

The automatic lubricating device was patented by Elijah McCoy on July 23, 1872, the start of many patents to follow. Most of his inventions were in the lubrication improvements area, but he also created an ironing board stabilizer and a turtle-shaped lawn sprinkler. In all, McCoy listed 57 patents in Canada and the United States. In Detroit, Michigan, he and several investors opened the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company in 1920 to produce graphite lubricating systems. The reliable devices picked up a popular moniker, still used today – when someone wants an authentic item, they ask for the Real McCoy.

Racial Discrimination Continued

Racial discrimination continued to be a problem for McCoy, even as a seasoned inventor and engineer. Speaking engagements and “scheduled appearances were cancelled at the last moment,” said the Black History Society, and many “were often surprised to see that this so-called genius was a Negro.”

Married first in 1868 to Ann Elizabeth Stewart, McCoy was remarried in 1873 to Mary Eleanora Delaney, a year after his first wife died. His second marriage lasted 50 years, until Mary died from complications due to a car accident in 1923. They had no children. Elijah McCoy died on October 10, 1929 after suffering dementia and high blood pressure. He left a legacy of devices that continue to enhance the mechanical industry even today, and is an important participant in Black History in North America.