Ashbourne, Alexander P.
c.1820-1915 · Contribution: 1875
Spring-loaded biscuit/cake cutter (hinged molding board with interchangeable shaped plates to cut a whole batch at once); pioneering processes for refining, treating, and preparing coconut oil for domestic use
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Received the first U.S. patent for a biscuit cutter, replacing hand-shaping; his coconut-oil refining patents (1875-1880) underpin the later use of coconut oil in foods and personal-care products. Held four U.S. patents in all.
Life & background
Born into slavery in Philadelphia c.1820; became a dry-goods grocer and caterer, later in Oakland, California, where he died in 1915.
Sources
- U.S. patent record; BlackPast.org; Southern Foodways Alliance; MOFAD
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