Sarah E. Goode Biography

Sarah Elisabeth Goode was an inventor and Entrepreneur from America. She became the first African-American woman to obtain a United States patent, which she did in 1885. Although the very first African-American woman to get a patent was Judy W. Reed about a year before Goode, Reed had used her mark (an X) to sign the patent and not her signature. A native of Ohio, Goode was born in an enslaved family. Following the end of the American Civil War, she gained her freedom. The family subsequently relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where she eventually exchanged wedding vows with Archibald Goode. They became parents of six children, of whom three made it past infancy. At some point, she set up a furniture store. Goode designed a folding cabinet bed that was perfect for people living in tight housing and allowed them to make use of their space in a more efficient manner. In the ensuing years, her creation garnered significant popularity. It is now known as the hide-away bed. It was also the precursor of the Murphy Bed.