Richardson, Albert C.
unknown · Contribution: 1894
Casket-lowering device for use at gravesites

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
His device was designed to mechanically lower a casket into a grave smoothly, avoiding the risk of an accidental mishap during burial that Richardson's own patent application described as a 'horror' to be prevented.
Life & background
An inventor documented on Henry Baker's list of Black patent holders, Richardson patented a casket-lowering device in 1894 intended to ensure caskets could be placed into graves safely and respectfully, without the risk of accidental mishandling during burial services.
Sources
- Washington Post; Philadelphia Tribune (USPTO/Baker's list feature); SamePassage; Today in African American History (patent list)
More in Industrial & Mechanical
Boyd, Henry
1802-1886
Invented the Boyd bedstead, a reinforced wooden bed frame design; founded a bedstead factory
Brooks, Charles
1865-unknown
Street sweeper truck design; paper punch
Coffey, Cornelius Robinson
1903-1994
Became the first African American certified aircraft mechanic in the United States in 1932 and designed a patented carburetor heating system that prevented icing, allowing aircraft to fly safely in cold and wet weather, a design principle still used in aviation today
Crosthwait, David Jr.
1892-1976
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system design