Thomas J. Martin

Thomas J. Martin (1842-1872)^[1] was awarded a patent for improvement to the fire extinguisher in 1872.^[2][3][4][5] The invention involved the use of pipes to carry water upwards and valves in the ceiling acting as sprinklers to extinguish fires in buildings.^[6]

Thomas J. Martin
Born	29 May 1842 (1842-05-29) United States
Known for	Invention of an improved fire extinguisher.
Spouse	Evaline Moore Kidd

Thomas Jefferson Martin was born on 29 May 1842.^[7] Martin was wounded at the battle of Shiloh.^[8]

In 1868, Martin married Evaline Moore Kidd.^[8]

Diagram from Thomas J. Martin's fire extinguisher patent from 1872.

Notes

In some sources, the name is given as Thomas Marshall including on Henry Baker's 1899 list.^[9][10][11]

References

1. "Black History Month | Caltrans". dot.ca.gov. California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
2. US 125063, Martin, Thomas J., "Improvement in fire-extinguishers", published 1872-03-26
3. ionedchandler (2013-03-26). "Thomas J. Martin Patents Improved Fire Extinguisher On This Day In 1872". NewsOne. Archived from the original on 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
4. "Alumna Publishes First Coloring Book About African-American Inventors | Alabama State University". www.alasu.edu. Archived from the original on 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
5. Gibbs, C. R. (1995). Black Inventors, From Africa to America : Two Million Years of Invention and Innovation. Three Dimensional Pub. p. 230. ISBN 9781877835872.
6. Sims, Ph.D., Doris J. "Black Inventors Help to Change the World" (PDF). Retrieved October 15, 2023.
7. "Thomas J. Martin, the inventor of the improved fire extinguisher". Africa Kitoko. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
8. Walker, Ezekiel J. "Thomas J. Martin invented ways to extinguish fires of all sizes". The Black Wall Street Times. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
9. "Black History Month leaflet" (PDF). Unite. 2020. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-10-02..
10. Harley, Sharon (1996). Timetables of African-American History, A Chronology of the Most Important People and Events in African-American History. Touchstone. p. 169. ISBN 9780684815787.
11. "1899 list - 'List of coloured inventors in the United States as furnished for the Paris Exposition, 1900'" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-10-19.