Goode, Sarah E., 1850-1905

Sarah E. Goode, born a slave in 1850, moved to Chicago, Illinois after the American Civil War. An entrepreneur and inventor, she is known as the very first African-American woman to receive a United States patent. Upon moving to Chicago, she opened a furniture store. She later invented a folding cabinet bed which provided people who lived in small spaces to utilize their space efficiently. When the bed was folded up, it looked like and functioned as a desk. She received a patent for it on July 14, 1885. She died in 1905.

From the description of Goode, Sarah E., 1850-1905 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10601957