Henry W. Putnam

Henry William Putnam (1825-1915) was an American businessman, inventor, manufacturer, and philanthropist born in Essex, New York, and who later lived in Cleveland, Ohio, Bennington, Vermont, Escondido, California, and San Diego, California.

Henry W. Putnam
Born(1825-09-01)1 September 1825
Essex New York
Died29 January 1915(1915-01-29) (aged 89)
San Rafael, California, United States
Resting placeOld Bennington Cemetery; Bennington, Vermont
NationalityAmerican

Putnam is known for inventions, improvements, and manufacturing of the Lightning stopper, fence wire barbing machine, and the adjustable clothes wringer. He donated a city water works system to the town of Bennington.

Businessman

Putnam operated his businesses under the name Putnam Manufacturing Company, with plants in Bennington, Vermont, Cleveland, Ohio, and an office on Platt street in New York.

Putnam bottle top stopper

On March 15, 1859, Putnam was granted a United States patent for the Henry W. Putnam Stopper Fastening (US patent #23,263) that was reissued (US patent #1,606) on January 19, 1864. In this patent Putnam states being from New York but formally from Cleveland, Ohio. The Putnam Lightning stopper saw widespread use as a means to hold externally inserted corks into blob top soda bottles.[1][2] On September 10, 1878 a patent (#207,982) was issued for an “Improvement in Bottle Stoppers and Bottle Fasteners”. On February 10, 1880 Putnam received a patent (#224,304) for the "Putnam Magic Stopper" that was an improvement to the Lightning stopper. He received Patent #256,857 on April 25, 1882, adapting the Lightning closure to wide-mouth jars. This became a successful challenger to the Mason jar’s screw cap.[3]

On October 28, 1879, David E. Stevens received a patent (#231,001) that he assigned to Henry Putnam. The Newark Star Glass Company, run by Stevens and Richard F. Lumley, had closed in 1878 because of a glass workers strike. In 1880 Putnam's stepson, Edward Hamlin Everett, who previously owned the Edward H. Everett Glass Company, bought the Newark Star Glass Company. The sale was likely the reason for the patent assignment to Putnam.[4]

Putnam Wringer

In 1861 Putnam received a United States patent for an adjustable clothes wringer, called the Putnam Wringer, that was also patented in Canada, England, and Australia.[5]

Barbing machine

Putnam was issued a patent (#253,824) February 14, 1882, for a fence wire barbing machine.[6]

Brooklyn Elevated Railway

Putnam was president of Brooklyn Elevated Railroad, and along with his son Henry W. Putnam Jr. was a director.[7]

References
  1. Hutch book: Henry W. Putnam Stopper Fastening- Retrieved 2017-09-10
  2. Stopper patents- Retrieved 2017-09-10
  3. Henry Putnam profile: Society for Historical Archaeology (pp. 161-165)- Retrieved 2017-09-10
  4. Edward H. Everett profile:Society for Historical Archaeology (pp.237-263) - Retrieved 2017-09-10
  5. Google books: Putnam clothes wringer: The Presbyterian Historical Almanac and Annual Remembrancer of the ..., Volume 7 (pp. 404)- Retrieved 2017-09-10
  6. Putnam wire barbing machine: The Business of Barbed Wire; Worcester Polytechnic Institute- Retrieved 2017-09-11
  7. Google books: The Manual of Statistics: Stock Exchange Hand-book for the Year 1890, Volume 12; : Brooklyn Elevated Railroad (pp.27)- Retrieved 2017-09-10
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