Frederick Jones  

Frederick McKinley Jones is credited with transforming the food industry and America's eating habits with his invention of a practical refrigeration system for trucks and railroad cars. Frederick Jones patented more than sixty inventions in all, but it is his invention of the automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks in 1935 that he is most famous for.

Fred Jones was born May 17, 1893 in Cincinnati, Ohio to an Irish American railroad worker and an African American mother. It's believed that his mother died when he was very young. Orphaned at the age of 9, Frederick McKinley Jones was sent to live and be educated at a Catholic church in Covington, Kentucky. Father Edward A. Ryan, a Catholic priest, took care of the boy and encouraged his interest in mechanics. He gave him responsibilities around the church and rectory which included cleaning, cooking, maintenance, and grounds work.  Fred Jones had a very limited education., quitting school in the eighth grade and returning to Cincinnati when he was 16.

Frederick Jones found a job as an apprentice automobile mechanic, boosting 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 50,000-acre farm. After service with the U.S. Army in World War I, Jones returned to Hallock. He continued his mechanic's work, but also studied electronics on his own. His skills grew to the point where he was able to build a transmitter for the town's new radio station. He also invented a device to combine sound with motion pictures, the beginnings of the modern movies with sound. His skills quickly attracted attention and in 1930 Joseph  Numero of Minneapolis, Minnesota, hired Frederick Jones  to improve the sound equipment made by his firm, Cinema Supplies Inc.

In 1935 Jones began work on the invention that was to make him famous. One day while Joseph Numero was playing golf with a farmer, the farmer complained that he had lost many truckloads of his crops because they had spoiled during the shipping. Knowing Frederick Jones skills as a gifted inventor, Numero said that perhaps his company could build a truck to solve the problem of food’s spoiling while it was being taken across the country. Frederick Jones quickly went to work on his new project, putting old odds and ends of machinery together. When he had finished building his machine, he attached it to a truck.

His invention was a success and Jones had created the first mechanically refrigerated truck. This meant that food could be shipped longer distances across the country without spoiling. Fresher and better food would be awaiting the American people in stores. Joseph Numero quickly expanded and began a new company, Thermo King, which is still thriving today.  Naming Frederick Jones as the Vice- President, the mechanical refrigerating system was soon placed in ships and railway cars.

Jone's refrigeration unit for trucks, was compact and shock-proof, as well as automatic. He used his own self-starting motor (patented 1949). During World War II, the army was able to use Frederick Jone's refrigeration truck to transport blood, saving countless lives. He also developed an air-conditioning unit for military field hospitals, and a refrigerator for military field kitchens

Click on the links below for detailed information and photos on African American scientists and inventors who rose to the top of their field

Experts in Medicine

There is a well-documented trend of growth among black or African American female medical school graduates. Since 1986, the proportion of female graduates has increased 53%, and the proportion of male graduates has declined 39%.

Lost in Space

In 2001, Tyson was appointed by President Bush to serve on a 12-member commission that studied the Future of the US Aerospace Industry.

Sitemap

Don't miss a single page. Find everything you need on our complete sitemap directory.

Speeches

Listen or read the top speeches from African Americans. Read more

Heroes

Read about the great African Americans who fought in wars. Read more

Scientists

African Americans invented many of the things we use today. Read more

Artists

Thin jazz, think art, think of great actors and find them here. Read more

History

Follow the history of Black Americans from slave ships to the presidency. Read more

Athletes

Olympic winners, MVPS of every sport, and people who broke the color barrier. Read more

Civil Rights Activists

These men and women risked and sometimes lost their life to fight for the cause. Read more

Politicians

Meet the people who worked to change the system from the inside. Read more