Samuel R. Scottron
Encyclopedia
Samuel Raymond Scottron was a prominent African-American inventor from Brooklyn
, N.Y. who began his career as a barber. He was born in Philadelphia in 1841. He received his engineering degree from Cooper Union
in 1878.
He was a community leader in New York, setting up organizations to promote racial harmony and fairness, as well as a public speaker and writer on race relations. He was a member of the Brooklyn board of education, and a leader in the Republican Party
. He fought for the end of slavery in Cuba
and Puerto Rico
.
He invented a special mirror bracket which allowed you to see yourself as others see you. He went on to receive 4 more patents.
Here are his inventions and patent numbers.
His grandson, Charles Scottron, played for the Smart Set Athletic Club basketball team, one of the Black Fives
teams, which were basketball leagues in the period between 1900 and 1940, when racial segregation was institutionalized, in which African-American players in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Pittsburgh, and later other cities, engaged in community-based and inter-city leagues and rivalries.
Scottron was the maternal grandfather of noted singer Lena Horne
(1917–2010).
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, N.Y. who began his career as a barber. He was born in Philadelphia in 1841. He received his engineering degree from Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
in 1878.
He was a community leader in New York, setting up organizations to promote racial harmony and fairness, as well as a public speaker and writer on race relations. He was a member of the Brooklyn board of education, and a leader in the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. He fought for the end of slavery in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
He invented a special mirror bracket which allowed you to see yourself as others see you. He went on to receive 4 more patents.
Here are his inventions and patent numbers.
- 1880-02-17, #224,732, Adjustable window cornice
- 1883-01-16, #270,851, Cornice
- 1886-09-21, #349,525, Pole tip
- 1892-08-30, #481,720, Curtain rod
- 1893-09-12, #505,008, Supporting bracket
His grandson, Charles Scottron, played for the Smart Set Athletic Club basketball team, one of the Black Fives
Black Fives
The term Black Fives refers to all-black basketball teams that thrived in the United States between 1904, when basketball was first introduced to African Americans on a large scale organized basis, and 1950, when the National Basketball Association became racially integrated...
teams, which were basketball leagues in the period between 1900 and 1940, when racial segregation was institutionalized, in which African-American players in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Pittsburgh, and later other cities, engaged in community-based and inter-city leagues and rivalries.
Scottron was the maternal grandfather of noted singer Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
(1917–2010).