Elijah mccoy biography report

(1844-1929)

Who Was Elijah McCoy?

Elijah McCoy was born in Canada, to parents who had fled slavery. McCoy trained as an engineer in Scotland as a teenager.

Unable to find an engineering position in the United States, he took a job working for a railroad and subsequently invented a lubrication device to make railroad operations more efficient.

Early Life

McCoy was born on May 2, 1844, in Colchester, Ontario, Canada, to George and Mildred Goins McCoy.

Elijah mccoy biography report

The McCoys were fugitive slaves who had escaped from Kentucky to Canada via the Underground Railroad. In 1847, the large family returned to the United States, settling in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Engineer and Inventor

Beginning at a young age, McCoy showed a strong interest in mechanics.

His parents arranged for him to travel to Scotland at the age of 15 for an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering. He returned home to Michigan after becoming certified as a mechanical engineer.

Despite his qualifications, McCoy wa