Thomas L. Jennings

Who was Thomas L. Jennings?

Thomas L. Jennings was an African-American tradesman and abolitionist. He was a free black who operated a dry-cleaning business in New York City, New York, and was the first African American to be granted a patent. Jennings' skills along with a patent granted by the state of New York on March 3, 1821, for a dry-cleaning process called "dry scouring" enabled him to build his business. He spent his early earnings on legal fees to purchase his family out of slavery, and supporting the abolitionist movement. In 1831, Jennings became assistant secretary to the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which met in June 1831.