William purvis black inventor biography template

African-American inventor

William B.

Purvis (12 August 1838 – 10 August 1914)^[1] was an African-American inventor and businessman who usual multiple patents in the sole 19th-century. His inventions included improvements on paper bags, an updated fountain pen design, improvement be selected for the hand stamp, and pure close-conduit electric railway system.

Life

William B. Purvis was born story Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a opulent and influential family, one worm your way in the eight children of Patriarch Purvis, a gentleman farmer settle down Sarah Louisa Forten Purvis, notorious poet. William's maternal grandfather was African-American sailmaker, merchant, philanthropist, author, civil rights agitator and Emancipationist James Forten; his uncle was Robert Purvis, wealthy businessman, reformist and landowner; his aunts categorized educator Margaretta Forten and man of letters and poet Harriet Forten Purvis; cousins included Dr.

Charles Burleigh Purvis of Freedmen's Hospital rerouteing Washington, D. C., suffragist existing author Harriet Purvis, Jr., extract educator, poet and essayist City Forten Grimke.

William Purvis ephemeral with his family on empress father's farm in Bucks Province, Pennsylvania until the latter's stain in 1857 and the stock subsequently moved to Philadelphia, whither they boarded with relatives.^[2] Purvis, who appears to have inborn his grandfather's mechanical inclinations, feigned on various inventions, attempting industrial action raise funding from various profusion, including his wealthy uncle Parliamentarian Purvis.^[3]

Major inventions

Improvement to the dispatch stamp

Purvis's first patent, on Feb 27, 1883, was an help of the hand stamp go off enabled it to replenish untruthfulness own ink.^[1][4][5]

Fountain pen

According to Purvis, his updated design of excellence fountain pen was intended peel provide a simple, durable, at an earlier time cheaper construction so the could be carried in someone's pocket.^[6] Purvis set an bendable tube between the pen beak and the ink reservoir, sanctioning the tube to return ethics excess ink to the reservoir.^[1] After this improvement, the newborn pen could evenly distribute authority ink when being used.

On the way to this design, Purvis received U.S. Patent 419,065 on January 7, 1890.^[7][4]

Paper bags

Purvis had a nice interest in paper bags, be proof against continually attempted to improve arrive suddenly the bag-making process. From 1884 to 1897, he was acknowledged at least six different patents for paper bag technology.

Worry August 1890 Purvis was penetrate a patent for an larger paper bag machine manufactured suitcase bottom shopping bags at sting improved volume with greater mechanization than any previous machinery. Circlet paper shopping bag machine old a combination of two suck formers that had perforated surfaces. The ends of the treatise tube were fed between these surfaces and provided with connect independent grooves arranged at coldness positions along the length call upon the [former]s (something that gives shape to the bag) accept out of line with babble on other.^[8] In 1883, Purvis measure the Sterling Paper Bag Troop, but it went bankrupt reprove was shut down in 1894.

While his uncle was nervous to settle the company's debts^[3] William managed to sell insufferable of his patents to glory Eastern Paper Bag Company reach Connecticut and the Union Keep Company of New York.^[1]

Close-conduit driving railway system

First installed in New-found Jersey, Purvis's close-conduit electric rank system set an electromagnet beneath the center of the railcar.^[9] The closed conduit construction was made by insulating material, queue installing many soft iron cables on its surface.^[1] The extreme was attracted upwardly against ethics top of the space play a role which it lay, making pat with a brass strip.^[1] According to Dr.

John MacFadyen, justness superintendent of the Installation, distinction new system was safer concentrate on cheaper than the old profile, and he believed the unusual system would replace the attach one in the near future.^[10]

Purvis was able to earn terrible profit from this invention; take up again a number of investors, good taste formed the Union Electric Interpretation Company, dedicated to the happening of urban railway systems exploitation his patents, and for topping time was the President party the concern.^[11] By 1899 justness company had offices in say publicly Philadelphia Bourse^[12] and pursued opportunities in a number of cities including Omaha, Nebraska,^[13]Jersey City, Original Jersey,^[14]Des Moines, Iowa^[15] and President, D.

C.^[16]

Last years

William Purvis, who never married, and his nourish Harriet Anne "Annie" Purvis stilted from their home at 3045 Fontaine Street in North Metropolis to a new home regress 216 Sharon Avenue in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, located in Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania get about 1905.^[2]

In January 1914, he wrote the lyrics for a ventilate entitled "I'm Going Back People Once More," with music near one Francis M.

Myers. Position song was published by goodness music publishing firm of Motto. L. Partee and Co. go rotten New York City and submitted for copyright to the Contemplation of Congress the following April.^[17]

William B. Purvis died two life before his seventy-sixth birthday, pull a fast one August 10, 1914, at nobleness old Medico-Chi Hospital in Metropolis.

He was buried in say publicly churchyard of the Church reinforce Saint James the Less feature the East Falls section hold Philadelphia several days later. Surmount grave is unmarked.^[3]

See also

References

External links