Elias Howe, American Inventor

Elias Howe, Jr. (July 9, 1819 - October 3, 1867) was an American inventor and sewing machine pioneer. Contrary to popular belief, he was not the first to conceive of the idea of a sewing machine. He originated significant refinements to the design concepts of his predecessors, and on September 10, 1846, he was awarded the first United States patent (U.S. Patent 4, 750) for a sewing machine using a lockstitch design. His machine contained the three essential features common to most modern machines: a needle with the eye at the point, a shuttle operating beneath the cloth to form the lock stitch, and an automatic feed. Despite his efforts to sell his machine, other entrepreneurs began manufacturing sewing machines. Howe was forced to defend his patent in a court case that lasted from 1849 to 1854 because he found that Isaac Singer with cooperation from Walter Hunt had perfected a facsimile of his machine and was selling it with the same lockstitch that Howe had invented and patented. He won the dispute and earned considerable royalties from Singer and others for sales of his invention. His sewing machine won the gold medal at the Paris Exhibition of 1867, and was awarded the Legion d'honneur by Napoleon III for his invention. He died later that year at the age of 48. In 2004 he was inducted into the United States National Inventors Hall of Fame. This image has been color enhanced

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