Frederick McKinley Jones (May 17, 1893 – February 21, 1961) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, and engineer who received the National Medal of Technology and became a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He developed mobile refrigeration technology, which helps keep items cold while moving. Jones received 61 patents, 40 of which were for refrigeration technology. He also improved the cinema industry by creating a better sound system for projectors. Jones helped start the company Thermo King and served as a sergeant in World War I. Because of his work in refrigeration technology, Jones is known as the "Father of Refrigerated Transportation" and the "King of Cool."

Early life

Jones was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 17, 1893, to an Irish father and an African-American mother. Very little is known about his mother, who left Jones’s life when he was a child. His father, John Jones, was a railroad worker who had difficulty raising Jones alone. Jones was raised by a Catholic priest named Father Ryan at a home near the church in Cincinnati, Ohio, close to Covington. Father Ryan took Jones in when he was about seven years old. Two years later, John Jones passed away. Jones left school after completing the sixth grade when he was 11 years old. He moved to nearby Cincinnati, Ohio, and worked various jobs, including cleaning a garage. By the time he was 14 years old, Jones was working as an automobile mechanic and later became a garage foreman. Jones was mostly taught by himself.

Career

In 1912, Jones moved to Hallock, Minnesota, where he worked as a mechanic on a 50,000-acre (200 square kilometers) farm. The farm was owned by James J. Hill, who also owned the Great Northern Railroad. Jones’ closeness to Hill and the railroad helped him learn about electricity and steam locomotive engines. Jones lived there for more than 20 years and later said in a newspaper article that Hallock was a place "where a man … [was] judged more on his character and ability than on the color of his skin." He was known locally as "Casey" because of a remark made by a railroad engineer he met while working at Hill Farm (see also Casey Jones). Jones received his engineering license at age 20. He later upgraded his license to the highest level.

In the U.S. Army, Jones served in World War I in an all-black unit until his mechanical skills were noticed. He was promoted to sergeant and worked as an electrician, even teaching other soldiers. Jones installed wiring to provide electricity, telegraph, and telephone services to his camp.

After his military service in World War I, Jones returned to Hallock, where he worked as a mechanic while learning about electronics. Jones built a transmitter for the town’s first radio station. He also invented a device to combine sound with motion pictures. This attracted the attention of local entrepreneur Joseph A. Numero of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Numero owned a company that made audio equipment called Ultraphone Sound Systems Inc., which later became Cinema Supplies Inc. He hired Jones in 1927 as an electrical engineer to improve the audio equipment made by his firm. Jones worked on changing silent movie projectors into audiovisual projectors. He also patented a ticket-dispensing machine for movie theaters.

Around 1938, following a request by Numero, Jones began designing the Thermo Control Model A automatic truck refrigeration unit. Jones created a portable air-cooling unit for trucks carrying perishable food to prevent spoilage. The Model A refrigeration equipment was attached to the undercarriages of trucks. Chilled air was sent to the inside of the trailer through refrigerant tubing. Because Model A was too heavy, Jones later developed the Model B, which was smaller and lighter but not strong enough. In 1941, Jones completed development of the Model C, which was mounted to the front of the truck, was compact, light, and could withstand road vibrations. In 1939, Jones filed for a patent for the Model A and received it on July 12, 1949. Numero sold his movie sound equipment business to RCA and formed a new company in partnership with Jones, the U.S. Thermo Control Company (later the Thermo King Corporation), which became a $3 million business by 1949. Portable cooling units designed by Jones were especially important during World War II, preserving blood, medicine, and food for use at army hospitals and on battlefields. Model C units were first made for military use, but after the war, they became available for commercial use as well.

Jones also developed a portable X-ray machine. He also created an early prototype of a snowmobile called a "snow machine," which attached skis to the undercarriage of an airplane fuselage and added a propeller. He also invented a sound track synchronizer (later selling the patent to RCA). An early radio service for local doctors was among his other inventions.

Distinctions and honors

During his life, Jones received 61 patents. Forty were for refrigeration equipment, and others were for theater devices and equipment related to gasoline engines.

• In 1944, Jones became the first African American to join the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers.
• In 1953, he received a Merit Award from the Phyllis Wheatley Auxiliary (Phillis Wheatley Club of Cleveland, Ohio) for outstanding achievements that inspire youth.
• In 1977, he was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame.
• In 1991, the National Medal of Technology was given to Joseph A. Numero and Frederick M. Jones. President George Bush presented the awards to their widows at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. Jones was the first African American to receive the award.
• In 1996, the Thermo King Model 'C' refrigeration unit, the world's first front-mount refrigeration unit for mobile trucks, was designated an International Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Jones designed and built the prototype from parts found in a junkyard. The challenges included creating a frame and refrigerant tubing connections that could handle the shaking from moving on roads.
• In 2007, Jones was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, which honored him as a "Visionary Veteran."
• In the March 2009 issue of Heavy Duty Truck magazine, editor Tom Berg called Jones "The King of Cool" and wrote that his "technological breakthrough changed the global marketplace, with effects felt from the world's largest cities to its most isolated villages."
• In 2015, Jones' achievements were recognized by the creators of a playground that celebrates Black heritage in Minneapolis. The playground includes train-themed equipment with a sign that explains Jones' mobile refrigeration technology.
• In 2022, several Black-owned breweries honored Jones during Black History Month. They released special beers to honor important people in Black history, including Jones.

Death

On February 21, 1961, Jones died from lung cancer at the age of 67 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He died before his wife, Lucille. An obituary in the Saturday Evening Post stated, "Most engineers start at the bottom of a project and work up, but Fred takes a flying leap to the top of the mountain and then backs down, cutting steps for himself and the rest of us as he goes." Jones kept applying for patents until his death, and he received his final patent in February 1960.

Patents

• U.S. patent 2,163,754 was granted on June 27, 1939 – A machine for giving out tickets.
• U.S. patent D132,182 was granted on April 28, 1942 – A design for an air conditioning unit.
• U.S. patent 2,336,735 was granted on December 14, 1943 – Cooling units that can be removed from compartments.
• U.S. patent 2,337,164 was granted on December 21, 1943 – A way to automatically stop and start gas engines.
• U.S. patent 2,376,968 was granted on May 29, 1945 – A two-cycle gas engine.
• U.S. patent 2,417,253 was granted on March 11, 1947 – A two-cycle gas engine.
• U.S. patent 2,475,841 was granted on July 12, 1949 – An automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks.
• U.S. patent 2,475,842 was granted on July 12, 1949 – A starter generator.
• U.S. patent 2,475,843 was granted on July 12, 1949 – A way to cool gas engines using a starter generator.
• U.S. patent 2,477,377 was granted on July 26, 1949 – A way to control gas engine temperature with a thermostat.
• U.S. patent 2,504,841 was granted on April 18, 1950 – A rotary compressor.
• U.S. patent 2,509,099 was granted on May 23, 1950 – A system to control refrigeration units.
• U.S. patent D159,209 was granted on July 4, 1950 – A design for an air conditioning unit.
• U.S. patent 2,523,273 was granted on September 26, 1950 – A ventilating system powered by an engine.
• U.S. patent 2,526,874 was granted on October 24, 1950 – A device to heat or cool air inside an enclosed space.
• U.S. patent 2,535,682 was granted on December 26, 1950 – A pre-made refrigerator design.
• U.S. patent 2,581,956 was granted on January 8, 1952 – A refrigeration control device.
• U.S. patent 2,666,298 was granted on January 19, 1954 – Ways to defrost a cold diffuser.
• U.S. patent 2,696,086 was granted on December 7, 1954 – A method and device for air conditioning.
• U.S. patent 2,780,923 was granted on February 12, 1957 – A method and device to keep perishable food fresh during transport.
• U.S. patent 2,850,001 was granted on September 2, 1958 – A control device for internal combustion engines.
• U.S. patent 2,926,005 was granted on February 23, 1960 – A thermostat and temperature control system.