Australian-born American inventor Granville T. Woods (1856-1910), dubbed “the black Edison,” contributed key inventions to several of the technologies that defined the modern era, including railroad braking, electric railroad systems, and telephony and telegraphy.. During his own life, Woods had to struggle not just for recognition but for financial solvency. Granville Woods was an American inventor who was a contemporary to greats of his time like Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. Granville T. Woods' dozens of inventions and patents made life easier and safer for countless Americans, especially when it came to railroad travel. New Orleans Weekly Pelican, November 5, 1887, p. 2 . When he died, he had become an admired and well-respected inventor, having sold a number of his devices to such industrial giants as Westinghouse, General Electric, and American Engineering. "Granville T. Woods, the First Colored Electrician." Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him. Granville T. Woods. In 1872, Woods obtained a job as a fireman on the Danville and Southern Railroad in Missouri, eventually becoming an engineer. In 1876, he moved to Springfield, Illinois, and worked at a rolling mill, the Springfield Iron Works.