Picture of frederick jones inventor
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Frederick Jones
1893-1961
Who Was Frederick McKinley Jones?
Inventor Frederick McKinley Jones pioneered portable refrigeration, which earned him the nickname “King of Cool.” After a challenging childhood, Jones taught himself mechanical and electrical engineering and became one of the most notable Black inventors of the 20th century. He received more than 60 patents during his lifetime for inventing various refrigeration, sound, and automobile devices. The portable refrigeration units he developed helped the United States military transport food, medicine, and blood during World War II. With a business partner, Jones founded a company today known as Thermo King. He died in February 1961 at age 67.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Frederick McKinley Jones
BORN: May 17, 1893
DIED: February 21, 1961
BIRTHPLACE: Cincinnati, Ohio
SPOUSE: Lucille Jones (unknown-1961)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Taurus
Early Life
Frederick McKinley Jones was born in Cincinnati on May 17, 1893, to a white father and a Black mother. His mother deserted him when he was a young child. His father struggled to raise him independently, so when Frederick was 7, he was sent to live with a priest in Kentucky for two years. Frederick’s father died near the end of this time.
At 11, with minimal education, Jones ran a
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Frederick McKinley Jones
Frederick Jones invented the first successful system for mobile refrigeration. His invention eliminated the far less effective use of ice and salt to preserve foods for transport, greatly extending the distance over which food could be successfully delivered.
In the summer of 1938, local merchant Joseph Numero made an offhanded promise to a trucking company to build a refrigerated truck that would not fail when subjected to the normal bumps and vibrations that occur during shipping. Jones, working for Numero, designed a durable, small unit with a compressor mounted under the trailer that was powered by a four-cylinder engine. Used in trucks, railroad cars, ships and planes, Jones' technology revolutionized the distribution of food and other perishables. It made fresh produce available anywhere in the country year-round, changing Americans' eating habits.
Jones and Numero went on to found Thermo King Corp. to produce the mobile refrigeration device. Thermo King became an international corporation and had over $1 billion in annual sales when it was acquired by the Ingersoll-Rand Co. in 1997.
Jones was born in Cincinnati. Despite having minimal formal schooling, he became the first Black American to be awarded the National Medal of Technology.
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Frederick McKinley Jones
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