Born: February 19, 1866 in Burton Hill Plantation, Alabama
Died: June 27, 1953, age 87, in Monteagle, Tennessee
No Marriages, No Children
Parents: John C. and Rebecca Anderson
Siblings: Fannie Anderson
Occupation: Real estate developer, rancher, and vineyard manager
Invention: In 1903, the Windscreen Wiper, US Patent No. 743,801
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| Mary Anderson, Inventor Windshield Wipers |
Mary Anderson invented the first "automatic windowscreen cleaning device" that was controlled by a lever from inside the car.
Born at the beginning of the post Civil War Reconstruction Era, Mary worked at several professions, mostly as an apartment building manager. Her father died in 1890 when she was 24 years old , leaving the family financially solvent.
Born at the beginning of the post Civil War Reconstruction Era, Mary worked at several professions, mostly as an apartment building manager. Her father died in 1890 when she was 24 years old , leaving the family financially solvent.
In 1889, her mother Rebecca decided to move them to Birmingham, Alabama. Using part of the inheritance, they built the Fairmont Apartments in Birmingham. They lived on the premises with Mary as manager of the apartments. When Fannie married G P Thornton, they continued to live there too.
In the spring of 1893, Mary applied for a job as the manager of a vineyard and cattle ranch. To her surprise, she was hired. She moved there in June 1893, leaving the management of the Fairmont Apartments to her mother.
Five years later, in 1898, her mother summoned her to come back to Birmingham to care for an elderly aunt. Her mother couldn't manage the apartment buildings and take care of the aunt too. Mary solved the problem by moving her aunt into the Fairmont Apartments and shared the care with her mother.
In the process of packing her aunt's belongings, Mary counted 17 trunks full of mysterious "stuff" that she wouldn't let anyone see. When she died, she left all her belongings to Mary which she shared with her mother and sister. The trunk contained collections of jewelry, gold, and precious jewels which put an end to any future financial worries.
During the winter of 1903, Mary Anderson used some of the inheritance to go to New York City. While waiting for a trolleycar in the snow, she noticed that it was very inconvenient for them and automobile drivers to drive in the snow because visibility severely impaired their view of the street.
She observed the trolleycar driver did everything in his power to keep the windshield clear of snow but it was at the expense of letting in the cold. Mostly he put his clothe out the window to sweep away some of the snow, and finally he resorted to getting out to clean the sleet and snow off the windshield.
When Mary went back to Alabama, she designed a swinging arm device with a rubber-lined windshield blade that would connect to a lever inside of the car and let the driver operate the blade without getting out of the vehicle.
On June 18, 1903, Mary filed application for a patent for her invention called a "windshield cleaning device." She was awarded a 17 year patent on November 10, 1903 which meant after the 17 years expired, anyone would be allowed to make a similar product and put their name on it as the inventor.
When she made the rounds of manufacturers, her idea didn't get much support, mostly because there were very few personal automobiles on the roads. Henry Ford's Model A car had not been manufactured yet. The company executives laughed at her idea, citing that there was no value in it and besides, it would be too distracted by the moving wipers.
Further Reading:
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Ten years later, in 1913, the automobile business was practically booming, but it wasn't until 1922 that windshield wipers were standard issue on Cadillac vehicles.
Mary Anderson never made a profit from her invention. The patent expired in 1920.
In 1917, an American vaudeville performer named Charlotte Bridgwood was granted a patent for the "electric storm windshield cleaner" the first automatic wiper system that used rollers, not blades. She also never made any money from her invention.
Mary Anderson lived out her years managing the Fairmount Apartments and died on June 27, 1953 at age 87 at her summer home in Monteagle, Tennessee. She was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, in Birmingham, Alabama.
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| Mary Anderson, 1866-1953 |
Further Reading:
Please share our posts with your friends so they can enjoy reading our blogs too. Here's the link to this post. Thank you.
https://inventionsandpatents.blogspot.com/2019/04/inventor-mary-anderson.html
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