Early Life and Career

Alexander Miles was born in 1838 in Circleville, Ohio and worked as a barber after moving to Wisconsin and Minnesota in the 1860s and 1870s.

In Duluth, Minnesota, he operated a successful barbershop in the St. Louis Hotel and became the city’s first Black member of the Chamber of Commerce through his real estate investments.

Seeing a Need for Safer Elevators

During elevator rides in his buildings, Mileswitnessed the risks of elevator shaftdoors being left open accidentally.

At the time, elevator doors had to be opened and closed manually, leading to falls when the shaft was left uncovered.

Designing a Solution

Miles invented an automated mechanism to open and close elevator doors safely at the right times.

His design attached a belt to the elevator cage thattriggered opening and closingthe doors using levers and rollers positioned along the shaft. This system removed the need for manual operation.

Legacy of Improving Elevator Safety

On October 11, 1887, Miles was granted a patent for his elevator door innovation, which became influential in making elevator travel safer. Though not the only inventor working on automated doors, his design improved the reliability and safety of elevators still to this day.