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Thomas L. Jennings (1791 â February 12, 1856) was an African-American tradesman and abolitionist in New York City, New York. He operated and owned a tailoring and dry-cleaning business, and, on March 3,1821, he was granted patent 3306x for a dry scrub process as the first African American to be granted a patent.
He was 30 years old when he was granted a patent for a dry cleaning process. Tragically, the original patent was lost in a fire. But Jennings process was known to use solvents to clean clothes and heralded in the process now known as dry cleaning. The first money Thomas Jennings earned from his patent was spent on the legal fees to purchase his family out of slavery. After that, his income went mostly to his abolitionist activities.