INVENTOR of the MONTH

Elijah McCoy: The Automatic Lubricator Cup

Elijah McCoy’s parents were escaped slaves who fled to Canada, where he was born on March 27, 1843. After the Emancipation Proclamation, the family moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan. When he was fifteen years old, his parents sent him to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he worked as a mechanical engineering apprentice.

When he returned to the United States, McCoy sought work as an engineer with the Michigan Central Railroad. He was offered the position of railroad fireman which he took reluctantly. While at work, he closely observed how trains operated so he could understand why trains needed to be stopped to lubricate their moving parts.

In 1872, McCoy received a patent for a lubricating device. His was not the first, but it developed the reputation of being the best. He continually improved the lubricator and patented each improvement. In total, he received more than 50 patents in the area of lubrication. His oil cups were so ingenious and effective that similar devices were not considered adequate, and everyone wanted “the real McCoy.”

In 1920, McCoy organized the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company in Detroit. Investors, not McCoy, were the major stockholders. When he died, at the age of 80 he was in poor health and had very little money.

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