Notable people · Business
W. H. Hoover
North Canton leather goods maker who bought James Spangler's vacuum patent in 1908 and founded the Electric Suction Sweeper Company, later The Hoover Company. He was North Canton's first mayor and is buried at West Lawn Cemetery in Canton.
At a glance
- Born
- 1849-08
- Died
- 1932
- Known as
- Business
- Organizations
- Hoover Company
Life story
William Henry Hoover, called Boss, made leather goods in North Canton (then New Berlin) with his son Herbert.
In 1908 he bought James Spangler's vacuum patent after his wife's cousin Susan, Spangler's relative, showed the machine to him. He started the Electric Suction Sweeper Company with $36,000.
Spangler stayed on as superintendent. The firm was renamed Hoover Suction Sweeper Company in 1915, and his son Herbert became president in 1922 and chairman in 1932.
The old Hoover family home on the Walsh University campus is now the Hoover Historical Center, opened in 1978, with vacuum history and wartime munitions displays.
Timeline
- 1908: Buys Spangler's patent and founds Electric Suction Sweeper Company with $36,000 (North Canton, OH) source
- 1915: Company renamed Hoover Suction Sweeper Company (North Canton, OH) source
- 1922: Son Herbert W. Hoover becomes president (North Canton, OH) source
- 1932: Herbert Hoover becomes chairman (North Canton, OH) source
What W. is known for
- Founded the Electric Suction Sweeper Company (1908), renamed The Hoover Company (1922)
- First mayor of North Canton
- Electric Suction Sweeper Company (1908), later The Hoover Company
Inventions and firsts
Family
- son: Herbert William Hoover Sr.
- relative / patent seller: James Murray Spangler
- nephew: H. Earl Hoover
Places in Ohio to see
- Hoover Historical Center (museum)
Walsh University campus, North Canton, Stark County ZIP 44720 (approximate) · North Canton · Stark County
Ohio places
Where W. H. Hoover was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Worked: North Canton, Stark County ZIP 44720 · North Canton · Stark County
- Buried: Canton (West Lawn Cemetery), Stark County (1919 7th St NW) ZIP 44708 · Canton · Stark County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- The Hoover Company (Wikipedia, pointer) 1908 founding, Spangler patent purchase, $36,000 capital
- William 'Boss' Hoover (Clio) born August 1849, died 1932, buried West Lawn Cemetery Canton, first mayor