Mary Dixon Kies facts for kids
Mary Dixon Kies (born March 21, 1752 – died 1837) was an American inventor. On May 5, 1809, she received a special paper called a patent. This patent was for her new way of weaving straw with silk and thread to make hats. President James Madison himself signed her patent!
Some people say Mary Kies was the first woman to get a US patent. However, other sources mention Hannah Slater in 1793, or Hazel Irwin in 1808, as possibly being first.
Contents
About Mary Kies
Her Family Life
Mary's father, John Dixon, was a farmer. He was born in 1679 in Ulster, Ireland. Her mother, Janet Kennedy, was John Dixon's third wife. They got married in Voluntown, Connecticut on August 7, 1741.
Mary Dixon was born in Killingly, Connecticut on March 21, 1752. She married Isaac Pike I and they had a son, Isaac Pike II, in 1770. After Isaac Pike I died, she married John Kies (1750–1813). He passed away on August 18, 1813, when he was 63. Mary then lived with her second son, Daniel Kies, in Brooklyn, New York, until she died in 1837 at 85 years old.
Her Work and Invention
During the time of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, the United States stopped trading with France and Great Britain. This meant Americans needed to make their own hats instead of buying them from Europe. The straw-weaving business grew quickly to fill this need. In 1810, Massachusetts alone made over $500,000 worth of straw hats. That's like $9 million today!
Mary Kies was not the first American woman to create new ways of making hats. In 1798, Betsy Metcalf from New England invented a way to braid straw. Her method became very popular. She hired many women and girls to make her hats. This new way of making hats created jobs for women and girls. They could make hats at home using local materials. Betsy Metcalf really started the American straw-hat industry.
Under the Patent Act of 1790, Betsy could have gotten a patent. But back then, most married women could not legally own property. This was due to a law called "coverture." So, Betsy chose not to get a patent. However, Mary Kies changed this on May 5, 1809. Dolley Madison, the First Lady, was so happy with Mary's invention that she sent her a special letter praising her!
Mary's Amazing Hat Invention
In the 1700s, straw hats were very popular. Women wore them, and so did people who worked outside, like farmers. These hats protected them from the sun. Most of these hats came from Europe. But then, Mary Kies came up with her own invention.
Her new way of weaving straw with silk was very special. It made the hats much stronger. Instead of using only straw for the seams, she used silk. This held the hat's criss-cross pattern together better. Her method also cost less money to make. Many hat-making businesses started using her idea. Sadly, the paper for her patent was burned in a fire at the Patent Office in 1836.
How Mary Helped the Economy
Mary Dixon Kies's invention greatly helped the economy in New England, where she lived and sold her hats. At that time, the US economy was struggling because products from Europe were banned. For her important contribution, First Lady Dolley Madison publicly praised Mary. Dolley was the wife of President James Madison.
During this time, there were conflicts between Napoleon and some European countries. President Madison wanted to keep the US out of these fights. So, he tried to stop imports and help American businesses, like Mary Kies's hat-making business, grow.
Even after the War of 1812 started, the hat industry stayed strong. While the straw hat business made an estimated profit of $500,000 (which is about $4.7 million today), Mary Dixon Kies herself made very little money from her invention and sales.
First Woman to Get a US Patent?
One interesting fact about Mary Kies is that she is often said to be the first woman to receive a patent in the US, on May 5, 1809. The Patent Act of 1790 allowed women to get patents for their inventions. However, in many states, it was against the law for married women to own property. This often forced women to either not patent their inventions at all or put the patent under their husbands' names. This meant their husbands would get all the credit.
Mary Kies decided that her new way of weaving straw with silk was so successful that she would patent it. She wanted to have all the rights to her method. This way, no one else could easily copy and use her invention without permission.
Her Legacy
In 1965, a special monument was built in her honor. It is in the Old South Killingly Cemetery. In 2006, she was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
See also
In Spanish: Mary Dixon Kies para niños
