Dr. George Franklin Grant

Dentist and inventor, Dr. George Franklin Grant was born September 15, 1847, in Oswego, NY where he attended school and eventually entered Harvard in 1868. Influenced by working for a local dentist, Grant trained at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine where he graduated in 1870. He became the first African American professor at Harvard. Grant was a brilliant and innovative man whose successful dentist career in Boston did not stand in the way of his keen problem-solving skills outside of dentistry. 

Grant loved golf but was frustrated by the game's major limitation, that is, how to plant the golf ball securely for the best setup. Dr. Grant solved that problem with his invention and patent of the golf tee, which instantly and dramatically improved the game. Although over time the golf tee has undergone cosmetic changes, it was Grant's invention of the golf tee that helped make the game what it is today.