David Crosthwait

{{Short description|African-American mechanical and electrical engineer, inventor, and writer}}

{{Infobox engineer

|image =

|image_size =

|alt =

|caption =

|name = David Crosthwait{{cite book|url=http://www.bookrags.com/biography/david-n-jr-crosthwait-woi/|title=David N., Jr. Crosthwait Biography|last=Gale|first=Thomson|year=2005|publisher=BookRags|access-date=17 February 2010}}

|nationality = American

|citizenship =

|birth_name = David Nelson Crosthwait Jr.

|birth_date = May 27, 1892

|birth_place = Nashville, Tennessee

|death_date = {{death date and age|1976|2|25|1892|5|27}}

|death_place = Michigan City, Indiana

|education = Purdue University

|spouse =

|parents =

|children =

|discipline = Electrical, Mechanical

|institutions =

|practice_name =

|employer = C.A. Dunham Company (now [http://www.mepcollc.com/index.html Marshall Engineered Products Company])

|significant_projects = Radio City Music Hall (Heating system)

|significant_design =

|significant_advance =

|significant_awards = Honorary Doctorate (Purdue University)

}}

David Nelson Crosthwait Jr. (May 27, 1892 – February 25, 1976) was an African-American mechanical and electrical engineer, inventor, and writer. Crosthwait's expertise was on air ventilation, central air conditioning, and heat transfer systems. He was responsible for creating heating systems for larger buildings such as Rockefeller Center and New York's Radio City Music Hall. He was granted an honorary doctoral degree in 1975 from Purdue University. In 1971, Crosthwait was elected as a fellow of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), making him the first African American fellow.{{Cite web|date=2020-02-04|title=David Crosthwait, Pioneering Engineer|url=https://www.purduealumnus.org/alumni/david-crosthwait-pioneering-engineer/|access-date=2021-11-13|website=Purdue Alumnus|language=en-US}} Crosthwait was also named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).{{Cite book|last=Spangenburg|first=Ray |title=African Americans in science, math, and invention|date=2012|publisher=Facts On File|author2=Diane Moser |author3=Steven Otfinoski|isbn=978-0-8160-8331-2|edition=Rev. |location=New York |oclc=745609937}}