First Woman Issued Patent

The Patent Act of 1790 allowed for any American to patent an invention or technique in the United States patent office.  Although men immediately started to take advantage of the opportunity, women were slow to become involved.  The first woman did not file for a U.S. patent until nearly two decades later.

On this day May 5th, in 1809, Mary Kies of South Killingly, Ct, became the first woman to be issued a U.S. patent. The patent was for a weaving technique that involved weaving straw with silk and thread.  Women’s straw hats was a growing industry in the early 1800s, as women used them while working in the fields.

The patent came at the perfect time for the New England hat market, because a U.S. embargo prevented European goods from being imported.  Straw bonnets made in Massachusetts in 1820 was a $500,000 industry, which was very successful for the time.  Although her patented technique was used, Kies was not able to make much money from her invention.