Frederick McKinley Jones was born on May 17, 1893, and was most well known for the development of the refrigerator during WWII. As an inventor he helped in the production of portable refrigerators, making the process of transferring food and blood quite an efficient system. As believed to be one of the greatest advantages in World War II, the inclusion in building the portable refrigerator was only one of his may inventions.

As a young kid he lived a very challenging life, living in Cincinnati where his black mother and white father. His mother deserted him when he was a young child. His father struggled to raise him on his own, but by the time Frederick was seven years old, he sent young Jones to live with a priest in Kentucky. Two years later, his father died. This living situation lasted for two years. At the age of 11, with minimal education under his belt, Jones ran away to fend for himself. He returned to Cincinnati and found work doing odd jobs, including as a janitor in a garage where he developed a knack for automobile mechanics. He was so good, he became foreman of the shop. He later moved on, again taking odd jobs where he could. In 1912, he landed in Hallock, Minnesota where he obtained a job doing mechanical work on a farm.

It was on the Hallock farm that Jones educated himself further in electronics. When the town decided to fund a new radio station, Jones built the transmitter needed to broadcast its programming. He also developed a device to combine moving pictures with sound. Local businessman Joseph A. Numero subsequently hired Jones to improve the sound equipment he produced for the film industry. Over the course of his career, Jones received more than 60 patents. While the majority pertained to refrigeration technologies, others related to X-ray machines, engines and sound equipment.

Jones died on February 21, 1961.