Henry Blair

Henry Blair was the second African American to be issued a patent, in 1834. He was a farmer in Maryland a long time ago – he was born more than 200 years ago. Henry couldn’t read or write, but he was very smart. He figured out how to a make a machine that allowed farmers to plant corn seeds much faster and with less labor. He estimated that his invention did the work of eight men. 

• Henry was born in Glen Morgan, Maryland, and he died in 1860, before the Civil War. 
• Henry couldn’t read and write. When he applied for his patent, he signed with an X. 
• He also received a patent for a cotton planter.