Thomas L. Jennings -- USA

In 1791 Thomas L. Jennings was born free in New York City, during his early 20s he became a tailor.  Jennings' skills were so admired, that people came from city wide to have alterations or for custom-tailored clothing.  Eventually Jennings was able to open his own store on Church Street, that grew into one of the largest clothing stores in New York City.     

Jennings, found that many of his customers were dismayed when their clothing became soiled, and because of the fabric used, were unable to use conventional means to clean them.  Leaving the person to continue wearing their clothes in a soiled condition or to simply discard them.  While this would be good for business with increased sales, Jennings hated to see his creations thrown away.  So he began experimenting with different solutions and cleaning agents, testing them on various fabrics until he found the right combination to successfully treat and clean clothing.  He called his method "dry-scouring" and it is the process we now refer to as dry cleaning.

In 1820, Jennings applied for a patent for his dry-scouring process, and was fortunate that he was a free man born in the United States, an American citizen and so legally able to apply.  This made Jennings the first African American to receive a United States patent, and he was able to utilise it for financial gain, in fact, he made a fortune.  Thomas L. Jennings took a large amount of the proceeds of his business and poured it into abolitionist activities throughout the Northeast.  In 1831, he became the assistant secretary for the First Annual Convention of the People of Colour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

When his daughter Elizabeth, was forced off of a public bus in New York City while on her way to church, she was able to obtain the best legal representation and hired the law firm of Culver, Parker, and Arthur to sue the bus company.  A young attorney named Chester Arthur, who would become the 21st President of the United States, represented her in court, Ms. Jennings won her case in front of the Brooklyn Circuit Court in 1855.