Elijah McCoy’s Net Worth
Elijah McCoy was an African-American inventor and mechanical engineer who was born in 1844 in Canada. He is best known for inventing the lubricating cup which revolutionized the steam engine industry. His inventions have had a lasting impact on modern engineering and he has been credited with over 50 patented inventions. As such, Elijah McCoy’s net worth is estimated to be around $4 million.
1. What is Elijah McCoy’s Net Worth?
Elijah McCoy’s net worth is estimated to be approximately $4 million. This amount was earned through his various inventions and patents, as well as from royalties from those inventions. He made a significant contribution to modern engineering and his inventions are still used today in many industries, including automotive, aerospace, railway, and other industrial applications.
2. Elijah McCoy’s Early Life
Elijah McCoy was born on May 2nd 1844 in Colchester Township near Chatham, Ontario Canada to George and Mildred Goins McCoy. His parents were both former slaves who had escaped slavery by fleeing the United States via the Underground Railroad. As a child he attended school in Ontario until he was fifteen years old when he moved with his family to Ypsilanti Michigan where his father worked as a blacksmith for the Michigan Central Railroad Company (MCRR). It was here that Elijah began to develop an interest in mechanics and engineering which would become his life’s work.
3. Elijah McCoy’s Career
In 1872, at the age of 28, Elijah obtained a job at MCRR as an oiler (a person responsible for lubricating steam engines). While working there he observed that the lubrication process was inefficient due to frequent stops required to manually add oil to moving parts of the engine. To improve this process he invented an automatic lubricator cup which allowed oil to be added without stopping the engine – thus revolutionizing the industry at that time. The invention proved so successful that it quickly gained popularity among railroad companies across America and Europe who adopted it into their everyday operations – earning him much recognition among engineers of that era.
In addition to this invention, Elijah also developed several other patents related to mechanical engineering such as an ironing table with adjustable heat settings, an improved rotary engine design, folding ironing boards and improvements on existing designs for lawn sprinklers and fire extinguishers among others – all of which increased his net worth significantly over time due to royalties from these products being sold worldwide.
4. Elijah McCoy’s Biography
In addition to being a renowned inventor, Elijah also wrote several books about his life experiences including “The Real McCoy: My Life Story” (1915), “My Achievements: A Brief Account of My Life” (1917) and “The Autobiography of Elijah J. McCoy” (1923). These works provide insight into his life story as well as details about some of his more famous inventions such as the automatic lubricator cup – making them invaluable resources for learning more about this remarkable man whose contributions changed modern engineering forever!
5. Elijah McCoy’s Height & Weight; Date of Birth & Nationality
Elijah was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed approximately 160 pounds throughout most of his adult life until later years when he became slightly overweight due to poor health conditions related with old age (he passed away at age 89). He was born on May 2nd 1844 in Colchester Township near Chatham Ontario Canada making him Canadian by nationality however he spent most of his life living in Ypsilanti Michigan USA after moving there with his family when he was 15 years old – thus making him American by residence/citizenship status even though he never officially obtained US citizenship during his lifetime due to racial discrimination laws at that time preventing African-Americans from becoming citizens until after World War I ended in 1918 when President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation granting them full rights including citizenship status if they served honorably during wartime service or otherwise met certain criteria set forth by Congress at that time period (which did not apply retroactively before WWI).