Joseph Newman

Joseph Westley Newman (July 2, 1936 – March 6, 2015) was an American inventor and author who developed an "energy machine" which he attempted to patent, but was rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office on grounds of being a perpetual motion machine. He described this device in a book, The Energy Machine of Joseph Newman. Newman alleged that he had a mechanical explanation for Albert Einstein's unified field theory of physics. After applying for patents on the perpetual motion motor, he battled for over seven years against what he claimed was a government conspiracy to suppress his supposed discoveries, garnering national attention as a result. The aftermath of the hurricane prompted Newman to make a pledge to God that he would devote the rest of his life to help humanity.

After leaving the Air Force a year early on the G.I. Bill, Newman attended the University of Alabama, enrolling in economics and accounting courses. He left college after acquiring interest in inventing and not long after, was awarded patents for the first plastic barbells.

The Federal District Court ordered the machine turned over to the National Bureau of Standards for testing, conceding that "It's very unusual for us to be testing something for a patent." Matthew Heyman, a bureau spokesman, said, "I'm not aware of us ever having been involved in a patent case before." In 1989 Newman claimed, while already married, to have married his secretary and her 8-year-old daughter, acting on orders from God. The daughter was removed from his home by the authorities.

Documentary Jon Fox directed a 2015 documentary film about Newman, entitled "Newman". It provides background on Newman's childhood, his struggles to obtain a patent, and interviews with Newman in 2014, shortly before his death.