History
The first upright vacuum was invented in 1908 by a Canton, Ohio department store janitor and occasional inventor named James Murray Spangler. Spangler suffered from asthma attacks, and he suspected the carpet sweeper he was using at work was the cause of his ailment. He created a basic suction-sweeper, first by adapting his existing carpet-sweeper with an electric fan motor, then creating his own prototype from a soap box, electric motor, broom handle, and pillow case. After refining the design and being granted a patent, he set about producing the 'Electric Suction Sweeper' himself. He was aided by his son, who helped him assemble the machines, and his daughter, who made the dust bags. Production was slow; he was completing just two to three machines a week.
Spangler then gave one of these 'Suction Sweepers' to his cousin, Susan Hoover, who used it at her home. Impressed with the machine, she told her husband and son about it. William Henry "Boss" Hoover and son, Herbert W. Hoover, Sr., were leather-goods manufacturers in North Canton, which at the time was called New Berlin. Hoover's leather goods business was threatened by the introduction of the motor car. Seeing in the Suction Sweeper a marketing opportunity, Hoover bought the patent from Spangler in 1908 and retained Spangler as company superintendent, on royalties in the new business. Spangler continued to contribute to the company, patenting several further Suction Sweeper designs, before his death in 1915. His family continued to receive royalties from his original patent until 1925.
Read more about this topic: The Hoover Company
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