Alexander Miles is an African American inventor born May 18, 1838. He invented the electric elevator. He did not invent the first elevator, however, his contribution was very important.
His invention is an improvement on previous models of elevators, mainly in terms of safety. He invented the automatic opening and closing of doors and reinforced security by protecting users of the elevator shaft. Indeed, before the invention of the electric elevator by Alexander Miles, most elevators were steam powered and had manual opening and closing.
In addition to being an inventor, Miles worked as a barber and invested in Duluth real estate. He was once considered the richest man in the Northwest.
On October 11, 1887 Alexander Miles patented the invention.