Mary Dixon Gravel
Mary Dixon Kies (born March 21, 1752 in Killingly , Colony of Connecticut , † 1837 in Brooklyn ) was an American inventor. She was the first woman to apply for a patent in the United States .
Life
Mary Dixon Kies was the daughter of Janet Kennedy and John Dixon, who was from Northern Ireland .
She invented a method of weaving straw into cotton or silk , which proved useful for making hats. The hat industry played an important role in the New England economy at the time . Dolley Madison , wife of then President James Madison , personally congratulated Mary Dixon Kies on her invention. Her patent, which she received on May 5, 1809, was the first to be registered in a woman's name.
The original document of the patent was destroyed in a fire in the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1836 . Copies of the hats she has woven using her own method are in the Danielson Public Library in Danielson and the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford .
In 2006 Mary Dixon Kies was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame .
literature
- Aaron Schwabach: Intellectual Property. A Reference Handbook . Santa Barbara 2007, ISBN 978-1598840452 , pp. 162-163.
- Tiffany K. Wayne: American Women of Science Since 1900 . Santa Barbara 2011, ISBN 978-1598841589 , p. 41.
Web links
- The National Inventors Hall of Fame
- Biography in the online journal of the Killingly Historical and Genealogical Society (September 2005)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dixon Kies, Mary |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dixon, Mary (maiden name); Gravel, mary |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American inventor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 21, 1752 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Killingly , Connecticut |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1837 |
| Place of death | Brooklyn |