Lucean Arthur Headen (26 August 1879 – 17 September 1957) was an American aviator, inventor, and entrepreneur. An early
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
barnstormer in the 1910s, he later co-founded the first United States-wide African-American automobile racing association, the Afro-American Automobile Association, and founded companies in the United States and England.
Life and career
Headen was born in 1879 on his grandparents' farm in
Carthage
Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, which became a manufacturing center after the arrival of the railroad in 1888; his grandfather was a wheelright, his great-uncle was a blacksmith, and his father and uncle started a sawmill in 1893. Initially prevented from receiving further training in mechanics after finishing school at Dayton Industrial and Normal School in 1898, he became a
porter
Porter may refer to:
Companies
* Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto
* Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets
* Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer
* H.K. Porter, Inc., ...
for the
Pullman Company
The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century d ...
before enrolling in Albion Academy in Franklinton, where he graduated in 1903. He then returned to Pullman in 1904, in 1909 transferring to the
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...
as a
dining car
A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant.
It is distinct from other railroad food service cars that ...
waiter, working 6–8 months a year and using the rest to work on inventions. In the mid-1900s he moved with his wife to
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.stabilizer to allow aircraft to remain level in flight after banking; he does not appear to have applied for a
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
for either invention.
In 1911, he took flying lessons at the Aeronautical Society in
Mineola, New York
Mineola is a village in and the county seat of Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 18,799 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from an Algonquin Chief, Miniolagamika, which means "pleasant village".
...
, and in January the following year, he left his job to accompany his instructor (probably François Raiche) on a barnstorming tour. He displayed a medal inscribed "First Negro Licensed Aviator in the World", but like many early flyers, did not take the examination for a certificate from the
Aero Club of America
The Aero Club of America was a social club formed in 1905 by Charles Jasper Glidden and Augustus Post, among others, to promote aviation in America. It was the parent organization of numerous state chapters, the first being the Aero Club of New E ...
. The tour led him to relocate to Chicago, but he was refused membership in the Aero Club of Illinois because of his race. He performed a number of exhibition flights throughout the Midwest, although he failed to appear for a scheduled racing car–airplane race against the first Black world
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
boxing champion, Jack Johnson.
In 1914, Headen ended his barnstorming career, working part-time for a patent lawyer and also as a chauffeur to
Robert R. McCormick
Robert Rutherford "Colonel" McCormick (July 30, 1880 – April 1, 1955) was an American lawyer, businessman and Anti-war movement, anti-war activist.
A member of the McCormick family of Chicago, McCormick became a lawyer, Republican Party (Unite ...
, publisher of the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
''. In 1915 he sought to patent a "spring inner tube" for automobile tires, and in 1916 incorporated the Headen Spring-in-a-Tube Company. In 1916–17 he then developed a system of mirrors as a cloaking device to protect ships from
U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
activity during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. His system was turned down by the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
, and the war ended before the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, which had expressed interest, could implement it.
In the postwar years, Headen shifted his attention to automobiles. In 1919 he opened the Headen Repair Shop in Chicago, although an attempt to raise money to do so by bootlegging led to two months in prison in Detroit. Profits from the garage enabled him in 1921 to start the Headen Motor Company, the first United States car company producing vehicles entirely designed by an African-American: by 1924 its products included a touring car, a sports roadster, and a race car. He toured widely to promote the company and solicit investments, and began to appeal to Black pride and to argue that the automobile would help to alleviate segregation; in 1924 he co-founded the Afro-American Automobile Association, the first nationwide Black auto club, although he was ousted from it later that year, largely over his focus on auto racing.
From 1925 to 1930, Headen lived in
Albany, Georgia
Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the seat of Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia ...
, where he incorporated the Headen Motor Car Company, which assembled cars, repaired and serviced cars, motorcycles, and tractors, and sold accessories. In 1930 he and associate Henry Petit, a locomotive engineer, were granted Headen's first patent, for an ignition device. With Petit, he also developed a fuel-saving vaporizing manifold, for which he was granted a sole British patent in 1933 and a sole U.S. patent in 1935; National Oil Manifolds was incorporated to market it.
After being invited to present his manifold in London, Headen emigrated in 1931 to the United Kingdom, co-founding and running Headen Hamilton Engineering Ltd., later Headen Keil Engineering Company Ltd., with a factory in
Camberley
Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Cambe ...
. His inventions and products included a piping system to prevent engine damage from premature ignition, a kit to convert engines to run heavier fuels using his manifold (secretly used by farmers during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
to run their cars on
kerosene
Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...
in circumvention of
petrol
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
restrictions), and a
gasket
Some seals and gaskets
A gasket is a mechanical seal which fills the space between two or more mating surfaces, generally to prevent leakage from or into the joined objects while under compression. It is a deformable material that is used to c ...
to protect bi-fuel engines from crankcase dilution by unburned fuel, which he adapted for use in planes. He also patented a "pressure-jet" method of
de-icing
Deicing is the process of removing snow, ice or frost from a surface. Anti-icing is the application of chemicals that not only deice but also remain on a surface and continue to delay the reformation of ice for a certain period of time, or preve ...
plane engines that influenced later inventors. In 1940, Headen joined the 1st Battalion of the Surrey Home Guard, and he reportedly lent his boat for the
Dunkirk evacuation
The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...
.
Headen initially lived in Camberley, but after his marriage settled near his wife's relatives in the village of
Frimley Green
Frimley Green is a large village and ward of in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately southwest of central London. It is south of the town of Frimley.
Lakeside Country Club was the national venue for the BDO int ...
, where he died of a heart attack in 1957.Snider, p. 159.
Personal life
Headen's older sister Nannie was an educator who became house directress at
North Carolina College
North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a public historically black university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliation with the Chautauqua movement in 1909, it was supported by private funds from ...
in 1940.
In 1903, Headen married Tena Drye, who taught primary school at Albion, had been an executive of her father's charity, and was active in the Presbyterian Church. She remained in Chicago when he moved to Albany, and in 1929 divorced him and remarried. In 1943 Headen remarried, to Gladys Hollamby; they adopted a son, Lucean Jr., in 1948.Snider, pp. 150, 153.