James Fields Smathers
James Fields Smathers | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Near Valley Spring, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | August 7, 1967 (aged 79) Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor, engineer |
| Known for | Inventing the first commercially viable electric typewriter |
James Fields Smathers (February 12, 1888 – August 7, 1967) was an American innovator recognized for inventing the first commercially viable electric typewriter.
Early life
Smathers was born on a farm close to Valley Spring, Texas and began his studies at Texas Christian University in 1904. After finishing business school, he initially taught shorthand and typing before taking on roles as a typist, accountant, and credit manager in Kansas City, Missouri by 1908.
Career
Motivated by the goal to enhance typing efficiency and minimize operator exhaustion, Smathers engineered an electrically powered typewriter. By the end of 1912, he had developed a functional prototype and obtained a patent for his invention in 1913.
He further refined his design through 1914. Due to interruptions caused by his military service in Europe during World War I, he received a patent extension in 1920.
In 1923, Smathers partnered with Northeast Electric Company based in Rochester, New York to manufacture electric typewriters. Northeast modified his concept to provide electric motors to established typewriter producers; starting in 1925, Remington Electric typewriters incorporated these motors.
After manufacturing roughly 2,500 machines, Northeast sought a definitive contract with Remington for additional production. However, as Remington was preparing to merge into Remington Rand, its leadership declined to enter a binding agreement. Consequently, Northeast introduced its own product line in 1929 under the name Electromatic Typewriter.
General Motors’ Delco division acquired Northeast Electric in 1928 and subsequently spun off the typewriter operations as Electromatic Typewriters, Inc. IBM purchased Electromatic in 1933 and marketed the device as the IBM Electromatic. Smathers joined IBM’s Rochester facility as a consultant in 1938 and later contributed to development engineering at their Poughkeepsie location until his retirement in 1953.
Smathers died on August 7, 1967, in Poughkeepsie, New York. He was survived by his wife Mildred Eloise Gill Smathers and their two children.
Awards
- The Franklin Institute of Pennsylvania honored Smathers with the Edward Longstreth Medal for his invention of the electric typewriter.
- In 1945, the Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences awarded him a Fellowship recognizing his creation of a proportional spacing mechanism.
- Texas Christian University's Alumni Association named Smathers a "distinguished alumnus" in 1966.