Alexander p ashbourne biography

Alexander P. Ashbourne was a nineteenth century innovator who brought the spring-loaded biscuit cutter and revolutionized the process to refine and treat coconut oil.

Though not much of Ashbourne’s life is documented, we know he was born into slavery in Philadelphia in 1820.

In his early years, Ashbourne was a wheat harvester alongside his parents. A born visionary, he sought new ways to making harvesting easier and more efficient.  Although his ideas never made it to fruition, his initial failures did not inhibit his drive for creating and innovating in the years to come.

() African American slave and inventor.

Freed from slavery in 1847, Ashbourne continued to live and work in Pennsylvania. By 1863, he was a well-known caterer and served the elite at weddings and buffets. It was through his work as a caterer that he noticed biscuits were hand-patted and lacked uniformity.

From here, he set out on a decade long mission to create a device that would provide consistency and efficiency in the biscuit-making proc