Elijah J. McCoy (c.1843-1929), Canadian inventor. McCoy was born in Canada to slaves who had escaped from the USA. McCoy then studied engineering in Scotland, and later settled in Michigan, USA. He is best remembered for his inventions, which included an automatic engine lubricator (1872). Some theories say that the phrase insthe real McCoyins, used when checking that something was genuine, refers to Elijah McCoy, but this is disputed. Photograph published circa 1913.