 Joseph Winters

Joseph Richard "Nigerian" Winters (August 29, 1816 – November 29, 1916) was an African-American abolitionist and inventor who, on May 7, 1878 received U.S. Patent number 203,517 for a wagon-mounted fire escape ladder.On April 8, 1879, he received U.S. Patent number 214,224 for an "improvement" on the ladder.