Charles goodyear biography

All the time, Charles studied single-mindedly to make accurate improvements in his vulcanization process and find a material that was flexible, elastic, firm and tough. But within his bare means, it was a futile exercise to try and prepare large sized rubber specimens bearing those properties. On his return home, he found that one of his children had died.

Grief-stricken at his loss and in penury, Charles borrowed a wagon to take the body to the cemetery. After a charles goodyear biography memorial service, he reverently thanked his kind benefactor, and regretfully told his children that despite their personal grief, they must earn for a living. In his lifelong journey to solve one of the critical mysteries of the industrial age, the implacable Charles Goodyear repeatedly risked his own life as well as that of his family.

William De Forest. This helped him reach New York where he showed his vulcanized rubber specimens to William Rider, a businessman and his brother Emory. Emory Rider too advised by giving him a practical opinion on hindrances in readying the machinery and preparing the vulcanized rubber goods. With the financial investment from the Rider brothers who admired his specimens, Charles began manufacturing vulcanized rubber articles.

The Rider brothers, however, soon faced severe losses and their business operations had to be shut down. Meanwhile, a steady financial backing came in from his brother-in-law and Charles began a small factory in Springfield, Massachusetts inwhere he moved with his family. Here, with the help of his brothers Nelson and Henry, Charles conducted experiments and prepared vulcanized products such as rubber sheets, suspenders, elastics, elegant ribbons, etc.

Success was finally knocking at his door. He then toiled rigorously to devise diverse new uses for the versatile rubber substance. After several time consuming days, months and years of research and money draining tests, the talented man produced variations in the material as well as in the articles of use.

Charles goodyear biography: Charles Goodyear was an

He even perfected their production process, thus enabling a profitable business venture for many people. Vulcanized rubber articles attracted the public eye and also brought charles goodyear biography profits by their sale. Since then, Charles never again reached the phase of extreme destitution. He also returned the kindness of all who had helped him in his adversities, by helping them in their misfortunes.

He even gave openheartedly to the poor and supported many families for years when he had the money. In the years that followed, with time and patience, Charles was successful in demonstrating that this extremely adaptable rubber material had over distinct applications in the arts and in useful fabrications. A market full of rubber goods arrived in the scenario.

Some articles were winners while others were not. India rubber cloth, the rubber fabric deemed as the next important discovery after the vulcanization process, was perfected after years of costly tests. Charles invented the rubber water-bed used in army hospitals. Rubber wear became popular as it could shield people and protect them from winter and rain.

It also gained importance in the electrical industry, since it was a bad electrical conductor. He crafted all imaginable rubber products such as cutlery set with India rubber handles, jewellery, musical instruments, book covers and India rubber floor tiles. With a patriotic fervour he could imagine rubber goods such as flags, ship sails, cheques and even banknotes.

He carried a rubber purse and wore a rubber hat. His business cards, nameplate and autobiography were made and bound in rubber. His portrait too was painted on rubber. Everywhere his creative mind tried to replace leather, so he made army tents, blankets, gun cover, ponchos, wagon covers, pontoons, lifeboats, etc. Charles would persistently think of new applications for rubber.

Even while in bed, despite bearing pain due to gout, he could right away capture his ideas as he kept writing materials within his reach. With a rubber walking stick, the frail man would visit factories and try to convince people to use rubber tools. At rubber factories, he would even stress the need to modify a process to introduce his new inventions.

But many companies having his manufacturing licenses would refuse and defy, as they were aware of the huge cost factor involved in producing a new rubber product. His friends too would request him to earn steady royalties from the already established market trade like rubber hoses, rubber elastics and clothing, rather than trying out manufacture of new articles, but he would turn a deaf ear.

Charles Goodyear was slow to apply for his vulcanization patent in America. In the meanwhile, since Europe led the industrial era by dominating markets in manufacturing and research, even before filing his American patent, Charles sent specimens overseas to Europe in to attract British financers, without divulging its manufacturing details. Hancock was a pioneer of rubber goods in Britain since it first appeared in Europe in the early s.

This clue was enough for the intelligent man Hancock, and he too carried forward his rubber experiments in England with sulphur. Ten years had elapsed since Charles had begun his great work and endured the bitter struggle involved. Later, Hancock offered Charles half a share of the English patent to withdraw his suit, which the latter refused unwisely.

Hancock received his English patent inwhile in the following few years, Charles received patents in most European countries except England. The rubber industry that was almost non-existent a decade back, had regained a new lease of life by It was flourishing due to the unrelenting efforts of this extraordinary genius, Charles Goodyear, who was now leading a much easier life in New Haven.

Devoted to his undertaking, Charles envisioned that every human being should be able to derive the benefits of the various uses of rubber, which were meant for all times. His creative work kept him from diverting his mind towards numerous enemies and immoral souls who were prospering at his expense, while scheming to deprive him of his little royalties and modest recognition.

He faced the impediments in his path by saying, "Don't be seeing all the difficulties that may possibly occur. If it is to be done it must be done, and it will be done. Charles had to struggle against 32 cases of violation of his patent rights against the crooks that declined to pay him royalties but wrestled to uphold their rights against him to produce rubber goods.

Among the men who contested lengthy lawsuits against Charles was Horace H. Day from America, who also obtained several manufacturing patents. Charles then hired a lawyer and Secretary of State Daniel Webster. It was a huge fee ever paid to any American lawyer at that time, and though well-known, Webster got involved as he needed the money. The infringement cases reached the Supreme Court where Daniel Webster finally won the memorable trial in against Horace H.

Day in Trenton, New Jersey. Webster also obtained a lasting order against future patent infringements that honoured Charles Goodyear as the original single inventor of vulcanized rubber, though it did not stop the pirates much. When finally most of his lawsuits were settled, Charles set off for Europe with specimens of his vulcanized rubber goods.

He never received an English patent, though later, he could prove his credentials with his knowledge and expertise. He then participated in his first International Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London in that provided him wide exposure and recognition. On this occasion, he displayed his elegant India rubber specimens that he had improved upon in America.

The exhibition pavilion made of rubber, including the articles made by him cost an enormous sum of thirty thousand dollars, where he displayed breathtaking India rubber goods such as beautiful inlaid home furniture, medals, ornaments, rubber gloves, musical instruments, paintings on hard rubber etc. His equally beautiful stall occupied the maximum exhibition space compared to other American stalls.

Though he earned practically nothing, Charles received appreciation by being conferred with the highest award at the fair, the "Grand Council Medal". Next year, despite being challenged by physical sickness, Charles went with his family to Liverpool and remained there for some months, with the hope of negotiating and receiving some benefits for damages due to loss of his true patent in England.

He thought it was his opportunity to be suitably compensated by applying for plenty of charleses goodyear biography for rubber applications, as the English law had now turned favourable. Charles soon received a devastating shock in his life, as his beloved companion for thirty years, his wife Clarissa, died in Marchat the age of 49 after trying to cope with her slowly failing health.

Charles would confide in her, and had complete faith in her to bring up his children with ethical, moral values, culture and religious principles in his periodical absence from home. Clarissa was a very matured and intelligent lady, who always held the closely knit family together. He depended on her emotionally and believed in her wise judgments too.

Sitting quietly besides him, she would soothe him by her mere presence, when he would panic even when a stranger came close to him in his room. On hearing her voice as she read the scriptures or uttered comforting words, he would be rejuvenated and brace up to advance his work.

Charles goodyear biography: Charles Goodyear was an

During his severest troubles, she alone had the blissful energies to comfort him always. Her death was a tremendous personal loss to Charles, for they shared a very close and harmonious relationship. Destiny soon favoured 54 year old Charles as he again found a fulfilling domestic relationship with an equally supporting lady of good character in London, the year old Miss Fanny Wardell.

Together, they also had three children. With his spirits rebound and health on a road to a faster recovery, he soon began preparation for another French exhibition. Feeling the need to facilitate prospective business in France too, he soon moved with his family to Paris in November This generated a great deal of prospective business interests.

Charles goodyear biography: Charles Goodyear (December 29, –

On arriving in France inCharles Goodyear then placed the reigns of his supervision and management duties with Charles Morey, an enterprising American businessman. Morey knew French fluently, and would negotiate with the French manufacturers well. Within a few months, his extreme skill and astute business capabilities were for all to see.

The first products, mainly rubber shoes, met with tremendous success and the business grew to a healthy magnitude sooner than expected. The American committee members, on noticing that very few Americans participated in the exhibition, further insisted that Charles fill up the spaces with his rubber goods. Encouraged, Charles prepared with a nationalistic pledge to represent his motherland and celebrate the aesthetic art of rubber.

It cost him fifty thousand dollars for two elegantly designed and centrally placed courts containing beautiful India rubber goods such as rich ornamental jewellery, finely carved caskets, portraits painted on rubber panels, furniture, etc. Since then, trade in the extremely beautiful India rubber jewelry expanded immensely as its popularity increased.

Meanwhile, there was an unexpected turn of events as grave complexities loomed in front of the French rubber companies that had begun operations. They lacked the expert manpower to mix rubber compounds and the relevant machinery to work. It caused a ripple effect in the French rubber companies, resulting in a slump in business. Once again he was bankrupt and in debts.

Fanny Goodyear now stood by the side of an extremely fatigued Charles, walking on his crutches. In prison, Charles silently bore extreme pain due to gout. The sensitive man spent his prison days with his favourite book, The Book of Job. Upon his release, a sick and skinny Charles went to his agency to secure for his prison mates gifts of rubber garments to comfort them within the damp prison walls.

Charles returned to England soon after his charles goodyear biography from the French prison to be arrested again in London in connection with the French problems. Though it bothered him, he refused help of his British well-wishers and was respectfully released upon bein proved that he was a victim of deceit. His worsening health due to chronic sicknesses left him hopelessly dejected, and the danger of a sudden death was a large threat.

Slowly, he moved to Bath, in England, in April where he remained confined to his bed. Throughout these days, amidst mental pain, Charles perseveringly pursued his research and investigation in the application of India rubber. On the bed where he would lie, he was also seen working, surrounded with the rubber substance. His room was also his office.

In England, despite his severe illness, he spent his efforts in completing life saving inventions that were coincidentally his first and last experimental labours. Must treasures continue to go to the bottom of the deep because there are offices where they are insured? While the gout-ridden and frail in health inventor spent large amounts in his continuous experiments, he was unable to defend himself from patent pirates in America who gobbled away his profits.

Charles had barely any means to keep his patents alive in litigations. His first experiments were carried out in jail, where he had been sent for failure to pay his debts. In Goodyear settled his family on the charity of friends near New Haven and went to New York to continue his work. He received a patent for an improved type of rubber and was able to find a modest amount of financial backing.

After moving to Massachusetts, he met Nathaniel M. Hayward, an inventor, whose patent on a process for mixing sulfur with rubber he bought. Goodyear intended to combine the new patented process with his old one, which involved coating rubber with an acid and metal. During an argument one day in his shop, Goodyear accidentally dropped a piece of the sulfur-impregnated rubber on a hot stove.

Instead of melting, it merely charred slightly. Realizing the importance of this two major drawbacks to using rubber were that it melted at high temperatures and tended to harden at low temperatureshe began experiments to discover the proper proportions and method of baking the new type of rubber, which he called "vulcanized. He claimed to have found more than uses for rubber and received patents in all countries except England, where Thomas Hancock had invented vulcanization in A shorter study is in John C.

Patterson, America's Greatest Inventors Goodyear, Charles gale. Learn more about citation styles Citation styles Encyclopedia. Charles Goodyear gale. Charles Goodyear American Inventor A merican inventor Charles Goodyear made important contributions to the practical application of rubber and its related industries. Andrew Ede Bibliography Slack, Charles Chemistry: Foundations and Applications Ede, Andrew.

Charles Goodyear Charles GoodyearAmerican inventor, experimented with, perfected, and promoted the use of vulcanized rubber. More From encyclopedia. About this article Charles Goodyear All Sources. Updated Aug 13 About encyclopedia. Charles Gabriel Pravaz. Charles G. Charles Franklin Kettering. Charles Francis Richter. Charles Francis Hall.

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Some charles goodyear biography after this, Goodyear himself moved to Woburn, while continuing his experiments. Heyward had received, in a dream, a formula for hardening rubber by adding sulfur to gum, and exposing it to the heat of the Sun Iles Goodyear encouraged Hayward to patent his new discovery, which he did. Goodyear then purchased the patent from him.

Using this process enabled Goodyear to produce better quality goods, but he also found that the process only hardened the outer layer of rubber objects. He thus became saddled with a large inventory of goods that were of no use to their purchasers. In the winter ofGoodyear noticed that some of the ruined rubber goods that had been returned to him, when accidentally brought into contact with a hot stove, charred in the same way that leather would, instead of melting.

He realized that some of the charles goodyear biography was merely hardened, and not charred, by the fire. It thus appeared that heating the rubber that had been treated with sulfur would harden it throughout and remove its stickiness. This treated rubber would not soften at elevated temperatures, nor become inflexible at low temperatures, the way untreated rubber would.

He tried to bring this new discovery to the attention of friends and relatives, but they did not realize its significance Iles When summer came around, he found that objects fashioned with rubber made by his new process did not become soft. Interestingly, the term "vulcanization" used to describe Goodyear's process was not coined by Goodyear himself but by James Brockedon, a rubber products manufacturer Iles Now Goodyear was sure he had the key to the intricate puzzle that he had worked on for so many years.

For a number of years, he struggled and experimented and worked along in a small way, his family suffering with himself the pangs of extreme poverty. The winter of was particularly severe, and Goodyear had to depend on friends for financing to support his family and continue his work. At the beginning ofa French firm made an offer for the use of his earlier process to produce rubber goods.

Goodyear declined, saying that the new process that he was perfecting would be far superior to that which the French firm wanted to use Hubert At last he went to New York and showed some of his samples to William Rider, who, with his brother Emory, at once appreciated the value of the discovery and started in to manufacturing. Even here, Goodyear's bad luck seemed to follow him, for the Rider brothers failed and it was impossible to continue the business.

Byhowever, Goodyear had started a small factory in Springfield, Massachusetts, with the backing of his brother-in-law, William De Forest, who was a wealthy woolen manufacturer. The work of making the invention practical was continued. The Springfield factory was run by his brothers, Nelson and Henry. InHenry started a new factory in Naugatuck, and inintroduced mechanical mixing in place of the use of solvents.

Goodyear eventually declared bankruptcy to settle debts that had accumulated during his leaner years. Besides the vulcanizing process, Goodyear invented a material composed of a mixture of vulcanized rubber and cotton fiber, which could easily be fashioned into durable sheets for the production of rubber goods. There were other players in the rubber market, most prominent among them being Horace H.

Day, who around the time Goodyear was granted his first patents, also took out patents on various processes relating to rubber production. An immense legal contest followed, in which the two men and other rubber-producing groups struggled to maintain their right to manufacture goods. Goodyear's former employee, Hayward, often entered into the contest, sometimes on Goodyear's behalf, but at other times on the side of Day.

In the end, Day was completely driven out of the business, although he had put up a fight of some eight years to defend his position. In the meantime, a process was developed in England that used only sulfur and steam, and was considered by many as superior to Goodyear's. All of these developments complicated the situation for Goodyear, and prevented him from reaping the profits that he would otherwise have realized from his invention Anonymous InGoodyear received the great council medal at the London Exhibition for his rubber products.

His finances, however, did not improve substantially in subsequent years. He had trouble enforcing compliance with his American patents, and he eventually lost some of his European patents. In Great Britain, Thomas Hancock claimed to have reinvented vulcanization and secured patents there, although he admitted in evidence that the first piece of vulcanized rubber he ever saw came from America.

Therefore, upon returning to Philadelphia, he made tubes and brought them back to New York and showed them to the manager of the Roxbury Rubber Company. The manager was pleased with the ingenuity that Goodyear had shown in manufacturing the tubes. He confessed to Goodyear that the business was on the verge of ruin and that his products had to be tested for a year before it could be determined if they were perfect or not.

To their surprise, goods that they had determined to be of good quality were being returned, the gum having rotted, making them useless. Goodyear at once made up his mind to experiment on this gum and see if he could overcome the problems with these rubber products. However, when he returned to Philadelphiaa creditor had him arrested and imprisoned.

While there, he tried his first experiments with India rubber. The gum was inexpensive then, and by heating it and working it in his hands, he managed to incorporate in it a certain amount of magnesia which produced a white compound that appeared to take away the stickiness. He thought he had discovered the secret, and through the kindness of friends was able to improve his invention in New Haven.

The first thing that he made was shoes, and he used his own house for grinding, calendering and vulcanizing, with the help of his wife and children. His compound at this time consisted of India rubber, lampblackand magnesia, the whole dissolved in turpentine and spread upon the flannel cloth which served as the lining for the shoes.

It was not long, however, before he discovered that the gum, even treated this way, became sticky. His creditors, completely discouraged, decided that he would not be allowed to go further in his research. Goodyear, however, had no mind to stop here in his experiments. Selling his furniture and placing his family in a quiet boarding place, he went to New York and, helped by a friendly druggist, continued his experiments in an attic.

His next step was to compound the rubber with magnesia and then boil it in quicklime and water. This appeared to solve the problem. At once it was noticed abroad that he had treated India Rubber to lose its stickiness, and he received international acclamation. He seemed on the high road to success, until, one day, he noticed that a drop of weak acidfalling on the cloth, neutralized the alkali and immediately caused the rubber to become soft again.

This proved to him that his process was not a successful one. He therefore continued experimenting, and after preparing his mixtures in his attic in New York, would walk three miles to a mill in Greenwich Village to try various experiments. In the line of these, he discovered that rubber dipped in nitric acid formed a surface cure, and he made many products with this acid cure which were held in high regard, and he even received a letter of commendation from Andrew Jackson.

Exposure to harsh chemicalssuch as nitric acid and lead oxideadversely affected his health. Once, he nearly suffocated himself by gas generated in his laboratory. Goodyear survived, but the resulting fever came close to taking his life. Together with an old business partner, he built up a factory and began to make clothing, life preservers, rubber shoes, and a great variety of rubber goods.

They also had a large factory with special machinery, built at Staten Islandwhere he moved his family and again had a home of his own. Just about this time, when everything looked bright, the panic of came and swept away the entire fortune of his associate and left Goodyear penniless. His next move was to go to Boston, where he became acquainted with J.

Haskins, of the Roxbury Rubber Company.