Lewis Howard Latimer (Chelsea,1848 – Flushing,1928) Military man, patent draftsman and inventor. Before his birth, his mother and father escaped from Virginia slavery and fled to Massachusetts. His father was recognized by a friend of his former slave owner and arrested. He was finally able to buy his freedom and live with his family in Chelsea. After serving in the Navy, he joined a patent law firm, where he patented the improved design of Thomas Edison’s original light bulb with a stronger carbon filament. One of his patents was a train-specific lavatory.