Henry Blair

Henry Blair was the second Black inventor issued a patent by the United States Patent Office. His first invention was a seed planter which enabled farmers to plant more corn utilizing less labor in a smaller period of time. Two years later, in 1836, Blair received a second patent for a corn harvester. Blair had been a successful farmer for years and developed the inventions as a means of increasing efficiency in farming.
It is noteworthy that in both of his patents he was listed as a "colored man", the only example of an inventor's race being listed or acknowledged on an issued patent.