Frederick M. Jones
Encyclopedia
Frederick McKinley Jones (May 17, 1893 – February 21, 1961) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, winner of the National Medal of Technology
, and inductee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame
. His innovations in refrigeration wrought great improvement in the long-haul transportation of perishable goods.
on May 17, 1893. He was orphaned at the age of nine. He was then raised by a priest in Kentucky
. Jones left school after grade Eight and left the rectory to return to Cincinnati at age sixteen, where he got a job as an apprentice automobile mechanic. He boosted his natural mechanical ability and inventive mind with independent reading and study. In 1912, Jones moved to Hallock, Minnesota
, where he worked as a mechanic on a 50000 acres (202.3 km²) farm. After service with the U.S. Army in World War I
, Jones returned to Hallock; while employed as a mechanic, Jones taught himself electronics and built a transmitter for the town's new radio station. He also invented a device to combine sound with motion pictures. This attracted the attention of Joseph A. Numero of Minneapolis, Minnesota
, who hired Jones in 1930 to improve the sound equipment made by his firm, Cinema Supplies Inc.
) which became a $3 million business by 1949. Jones's air coolers for trains, ships, and aircraft made it possible for the first time to ship perishable food long distances during any time of the year. Portable cooling units designed by Jones were especially important during World War II
, preserving blood, medicine, and food for use at army hospitals and on open battlefields.
s, sound equipment, and gasoline engines. In 1944, Jones became the first African American
to be elected into the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers, and during the 1950s he was a maco to the U.S. Department of Defense and the Bureau of Standards
. In 1991, The National Medal of Technology was awarded to Joseph A. Numero and Frederick M. Jones. President George Bush presented the awards posthumously to their widows at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. Mr. Jones was the first African American to receive the award. Jones died of lung cancer
in Minneapolis in 1961. He was inducted into the Minnesota Inventors 2011
National Medal of Technology
The National Medal of Technology and Innovation is an honor granted by the President of the United States to American inventors and innovators who have made significant contributions to the development of new and important technology...
, and inductee of the National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging invention and creativity through the administration of its programs. The Hall of Fame honors the men and women responsible for the great technological advances that make human,...
. His innovations in refrigeration wrought great improvement in the long-haul transportation of perishable goods.
Background
Jones was born in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
on May 17, 1893. He was orphaned at the age of nine. He was then raised by a priest in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. Jones left school after grade Eight and left the rectory to return to Cincinnati at age sixteen, where he got a job as an apprentice automobile mechanic. He boosted his natural mechanical ability and inventive mind with independent reading and study. In 1912, Jones moved to Hallock, Minnesota
Hallock, Minnesota
Hallock is a city in and the county seat of Kittson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 981 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.U.S...
, where he worked as a mechanic on a 50000 acres (202.3 km²) farm. After service with the U.S. Army in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Jones returned to Hallock; while employed as a mechanic, Jones taught himself electronics and built a transmitter for the town's new radio station. He also invented a device to combine sound with motion pictures. This attracted the attention of Joseph A. Numero of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, who hired Jones in 1930 to improve the sound equipment made by his firm, Cinema Supplies Inc.
Refrigeration
Around 1935, Jones designed a portable air-cooling unit for trucks carrying perishable food, and received a patent for it on July 12, 1940. Numero sold his movie sound equipment business to RCA and formed a new company in partnership with Jones, the U.S. Thermo Control Company (later the Thermo King CorporationThermo King Corporation
Thermo King Corporation, based in Bloomington, Minnesota and a unit of Ingersoll Rand Company Limited, is a manufacturer of transport temperature control systems for trucks, trailers, shipboard containers and railway cars as well as HVAC systems for bus, shuttle and passenger rail applications...
) which became a $3 million business by 1949. Jones's air coolers for trains, ships, and aircraft made it possible for the first time to ship perishable food long distances during any time of the year. Portable cooling units designed by Jones were especially important during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, preserving blood, medicine, and food for use at army hospitals and on open battlefields.
Distinctions and honors
During his life, Jones was awarded sixty-one patents. Forty were for refrigeration equipment, while others went for portable X-ray machineX-ray machine
An X-ray generator is a device used to generate X-rays. These devices are commonly used by radiographers to acquire an x-ray image of the inside of an object but they are also used in sterilization or fluorescence....
s, sound equipment, and gasoline engines. In 1944, Jones became the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to be elected into the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers, and during the 1950s he was a maco to the U.S. Department of Defense and the Bureau of Standards
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
. In 1991, The National Medal of Technology was awarded to Joseph A. Numero and Frederick M. Jones. President George Bush presented the awards posthumously to their widows at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. Mr. Jones was the first African American to receive the award. Jones died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in Minneapolis in 1961. He was inducted into the Minnesota Inventors 2011
Patents
- 2,163,754, 6/27/1939
- D 132,182, 4/28/1940 design for air conditioning unit
- 2,336,735, 12/14/1943, Removable cooling units for compartments
- 2,337,164, 12/21/1943, Means for automatically stopping and starting gas engines
- 2,376,968, 5/29/1945, Two-cycle gas engine
- 2,417,253, 3/11/1947, Two-cycle gas engine
- 2,475,841, 7/12/1949, Automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks
- 2,475,842, 7/12/1949, Starter generator
- 2,475,843, 7/12/1949, Means operated by a starter generator for cooling a gas engine
- 2,477,377, 7/26/1949, Means for thermostatically operating gas engines
- 2,504,841, 4/18/1950, Rotary compressor
- 2,509,099, 5/23/1950, System for controlling operation of refrigeration units
- D 159,209, 7/4/1950, Design for air conditioning unit
- 2,523,273, 9/26/1950, Engine actuated ventilating system
- 2,526,874, 10/24/1950, Apparatus for heating or cooling atmosphere within an enclosure
- 2,535,682, 12/26/1950, Prefabricated refrigerator construction
- 2,581,956, 1/8/1952, Refrigeration control device
- 2,666,298, 1/19/1954, Methods and means of defrosting a cold diffuser
- 2,696,086, 12/7/1954, Method and means for air conditioning
- 2,780,923, 2/12/1957, Method and means for preserving perishable foodstuffs in transit
- 2,850,001, 9/2/1958, Control device for internal combustion engine
- 2,926,005, 2/23/1960, Thermostat and temperature control system