2021 Class
Garrett A. Morgan (1877-1963)

Garrett A. Morgan was a man whose lifetime achievement is a model of dedication to public service, safety, and technological innovation.

The child of former slaves and born in Kentucky in 1877, Morgan became an innovator and successful businessman.

Driving his Model T Ford through downtown Cleveland, Morgan witnessed a crash between a car and a buggy, which led him to invent and patent the first three-stage traffic signal in the United States.  His traffic signal was mounted on a T-shaped pole.  It had three different types of signals: stop, go, and “stop in all directions” to allow pedestrians to cross streets more safely.  Morgan eventually patented his device in Canada and Great Britain and sold it to General Electric for $40,000.

His traffic signal, for which he received a patent in 1923, is considered a forerunner of modern intelligent transportation systems.  Prior to his invention, most traffic signs in use had only two positions: stop and go.  These manually operated two-position signals were an improvement over uncontrolled intersections, but because they allowed no interval between stop and go commands, collisions at busy intersections were common.  Morgan’s third position halted traffic in all directions before vehicles proceeded on either of the intersection’s roads, thereby improving safety.