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Notable people · Inventor

James Murray Spangler

Canton department-store janitor who built an electric suction sweeper from a fan motor, soapbox, broom handle and pillowcase, and patented it (US 889,823, granted June 2, 1908). His relative William H. Hoover bought the patent and built the Hoover Company; Spangler stayed as a supervisor.

James Murray Spangler
Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Born
1848-11-20
Died
1915-01
Known as
Inventor
Organizations
Electric Suction Sweeper Company, Hoover Company

Life story

James Murray Spangler grew up on a farm in Plain Township, Stark County, per Wikipedia. He worked as a farmer, a threshing hand and a salesman for the Aultman Company, and held patents for a grain harvester (1887), hay rake (1893) and velocipede wagon (1897).

He moved to Akron in 1880 and later worked as a janitor at Zollinger's dry goods store in Canton. He was asthmatic, and dust from carpet sweepers made it worse, which pushed him to build a sweeper with a motor and suction.

He tested his machine in 1907 and filed in September. The patent was granted June 2, 1908. His cousin Susan Hoover showed it to her husband William Hoover, who bought the patent.

Spangler stayed with the company as superintendent; his wife and daughter made the vacuum bags until 1914. He died in Chicago in January 1915 and is buried at West Lawn Cemetery in Canton.

Timeline

  • 1848-11-20: Born in Plain Township, Stark County (Plain Township, OH) source
  • 1874-05-21: Marries Elesta Holtz (OH) source
  • 1880: Moves to Akron (Akron, OH) source
  • 1887: Grain harvester patent granted (OH) source
  • 1907: Tests vacuum invention; files patent in September (Canton, OH) source
  • 1908-06-02: Vacuum patent granted (Canton, OH) source
  • 1915-01: Dies in Chicago; buried at West Lawn Cemetery, Canton (Chicago, IL) source

What James is known for

  • U.S. Patent 889,823, 'Carpet Sweeper and Cleaner', filed 1907-09-14, granted 1908-06-02
  • Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (2006)
  • US patent 889,823, carpet sweeper and cleaner, 1908
  • Five US patents in all (harvester, hay rake, velocipede wagon, sweeper, suction sweeper)

Inventions and firsts

All Ohio inventions and firsts

Honors and things named for them

  • National Inventors Hall of Fame, 2006

Family

  • wife: Elesta Holtz
  • son: Clarence T. Spangler
  • son: Frank G. Spangler
  • daughter: Jennie M. Spangler
  • cousin: Susan Hoover
  • cousin's husband / patent buyer: William H. Hoover

Places in Ohio to see

Ohio places

Where James Murray Spangler was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.

Myths and corrections

  • Wikipedia says he was born in Plain Township, Stark County, Ohio, while the National Inventors Hall of Fame says Pennsylvania.
  • Wikipedia gives his death as January 23, 1915 in Chicago, while the Inventors Hall of Fame gives January 22.

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.

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