Mary Anderson

Mary Elizabeth Anderson (February 19, 1866 – June 27, 1953) was an American inventor and entrepreneur credited with inventing the first operational windshield wiper. She was born in Greene County, Alabama, and later became known as a real-estate developer in Birmingham as well as the operator of a cattle ranch and vineyard in California. In her 1903 U.S. patent, Anderson described her design as a “window cleaning device for electric cars and other vehicles,” a hand-operated mechanism using a blade to clear snow, ice, or sleet from the windshield. The U.S. Patent Office awarded her Patent No. 743,801 on November 10, 1903 for this device.

Early life Mary Anderson was born on February 19, 1866, at Burton Hill Plantation in Greene County, Alabama, to John C. and Rebecca Anderson.

Around 1900, it is said that Anderson came into a large inheritance from an aunt. Eager to make exciting use of the money, she took a trip to New York City during the thick of winter in 1903. During her trip, Anderson had a hard time seeing the sights because of harsh weather. Her driver even had a hard time seeing clearly too. In order to see, her driver drove with both windows open and would wipe down the snow and ice off the windshields with his hands. Anderson decided this method could be improved. The trolley car’s front window was designed for bad-weather visibility, but its multi-pane windshield system worked very poorly. Therefore, to clear the sights, the driver needed to open the window, lean out of the vehicle, or stop the car to go outside in order to wipe the windscreen with his or her hands. Anderson observed the agitated and uncomfortable behavior of the vehicle’s cold driver, who had to rely on all sorts of tricks like sticking his head out of the window, stopping the vehicle to clean the windshield in order to see where he was driving. Anderson, who was not an engineer but an entrepreneur, identified the problem and its opportunity. She envisioned a windshield wiper blade that the trolley driver could operate from the inside. At that time, it rarely occurred to anyone else to eliminate the problem; it was something drivers simply accepted and dealt with.

As a Southern woman, Anderson found the problem of the shivering driver novel to her and when she returned to Alabama, the problem stuck with her. Later, as technology developed, windshield wipers were powered by engine vacuum or by electric motors but they are still squeegees on spindles. Similar devices had been made earlier, but Anderson's was the first windshield clearing device to be effective. Anderson’s simple mechanism and basic design have remained much the same, but unlike today’s windscreen wipers, Anderson’s could be removed when not needed.

In 1903 when Anderson applied for the patent, cars were rich men's toys. Henry Ford’s Model T had not democratized the automobile. Therefore, when Anderson tried to sell the rights to her invention through a noted Canadian firm of Dinning and Eckenstein in 1905, they rejected her application. They argued, "we do not consider it to be of such commercial value as would warrant our undertaking its sale." Furthermore, many could not see the value of her invention and stressed the risk that the driver would be distracted by operating the device and the moving wipers.

In 1917, Charlotte Bridgewood patented the “electric storm windshield cleaner,” the first automatic wiper system that used rollers instead of blades. Like Anderson, Bridgewood never made any money from her invention. Anderson started by prototyping her innovation. There were already many similar designs but hers was the first to actually work. Anderson designed a hand-operated mechanical arm made of metal and rubber. The driver could pull a lever to sweep the blade across the glass, clearing precipitation without stopping the vehicle. Anderson filed for a U.S. patent for her “WINDOW CLEANING DEVICE,” which was granted on November 10, 1903. Her patent described a spring, replaceable wiper blade, and counterweight mechanism to ensure smooth movement. However, she was not successful in selling the device. She filed her patent before Henry Ford even started to manufacture cars. A manufacturing firm in Canada rejected her device because they did not see commercial value. So, her patent expired in 17 years in 1920. In 1922, Cadillac made it standard for all their vehicles.

Later life By the 1920s, Anderson’s brother-in-law had died, and Anderson was again living in the Fairmont Apartments in Birmingham with her sister Fannie and her mother. She continued to manage the Fairmont Apartments until her death at the age of 87. At the time of her death, she was the oldest member of South Highland Presbyterian Church. She died at her summer home in Monteagle, Tennessee. Her funeral was conducted by Dr. Frank A. Mathes at South Highland and she was buried at Elmwood Cemetery.

Legacy In 2011 Anderson was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. With minimal mention or recognition until 2011, thankfully Anderson’s sketch provides a glimpse of her entrepreneurial spirit and ambition. Rini Paiva, executive vice president at the National Inventors Hall of Fame said, "She was persistent, she was forward-thinking, and she had the drive to follow up on an idea."