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Thomas Jennings

Dry Scouring

• Did you know that modern dry cleaning was invented by an African American man?
• Thomas Jennings was first known African American to hold a patent which he received in 1821 for a dry cleaning process. He was 30 years old when he received his patent and a free tradesman known widely for his work.
• As a young man, he worked various jobs before deciding to become a tailor. He became so good and so famous that he opened his own store in New York City.
• His customers complained to him that their fancy clothes were unable to be cleaned by washing because the fabric would get ruined. So people would just wear their dirty clothing until it got thrown out! What a waste!
• He started experimenting with ways to clean the fabric without ruining it. Eventually he discovered what he called "dry scouring" - today's dry cleaning!
• Thomas Jennings applied for and received a patent for his invention. He made a fortune from his invention - and used it to free his family from slavery and donated large amounts of money to the abolitionist movement.