This House resolution says the Postal Service should issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring Lewis Howard Latimer. It recognizes his life, scientific achievements, and civic contributions, and asks the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend the stamp to the Postmaster General. The resolution lists Latimer's background and accomplishments, including his birth and death years (1848–1928), service in the Navy during the Civil War, self-education in mechanical drawing and drafting, work with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison, an improved process for making carbon filament for light bulbs, a 1886 patent for an "Apparatus for Cooling and Disinfecting," and his 1890 authorship of "Incandescent Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System." It also notes his advocacy for civil rights and his membership as the only African American among the 28 charter Edison Pioneers. The resolution was introduced on September 17, 2026, by Representatives Grace Meng and Stephen Lynch and was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
The resolution is an official expression by the House asking the Postal Service to honor Lewis Latimer with a stamp and asking the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend the stamp to the Postmaster General. The text does not create new programs or legal rights. Whether a stamp is produced depends on the Postal Service and the advisory committee.
This resolution does not authorize spending. No publicly available information on costs or budgetary effects is included in the text provided.
Supporters say Latimer's life and work deserve public recognition. The resolution highlights his role improving carbon filament for light bulbs, his patent for a cooling and disinfecting apparatus, his published work on electric lighting, his technical work with Bell and Edison, his military service, his self-taught technical skills, and his advocacy for civil rights.
No publicly available information.