Samuel Raymond Scottron

Born in Philadelphia in about 1841 and raised in New York, he began working early in his father’s barbering business and later studied at Cooper Union. Over time he built a varied career as a barber, merchant, inventor, and public speaker, developing the practical, problem-solving style that shaped his work.

He is most often remembered for an improved mirror designed for barbershops, along with patents for curtain rods, window cornices, brackets, and other household fittings. These inventions helped make him one of the notable Black inventors and entrepreneurs of late 19th-century Brooklyn.

His life also included public service and community leadership. During the Civil War he worked as a sutler serving Black troops, and in later years he wrote and spoke on education, civil rights, and economic progress, leaving a legacy that joins invention with civic commitment.