Melville Reuben Bissell

Melville Reuben Bissell (September 25, 1843 – March 15, 1889) was an American entrepreneur who invented improvements on the modern carpet sweeper. The Bissell corporation is named after him.

Life and career Bissell was born in Hartwick, New York, and grew up in Berlin, Wisconsin. As a young adult, he opened a grocery store in 1862 with his father, Alpheus, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, selling it in 1869 and opening a crockery and glassware store in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1870. He made money manufacturing crockery and investing in real estate.

In 1876, after using a Welcome carpet sweeper, Bissell began to study how to design a better sweeper, with more reliable mechanisms. Bissell patented a sweeper with a central brush, rubber wheels, and other improvements. He later bought out the Welcome Carpet Sweeper Company.

Personal life In 1869 Bissell married Anna (Annie) Sutherland of River John, Pictou, NS, Canada. The couple were parents of a daughter, Doetelle, and three sons.