About Nathaniel B. Wales
Lived 1883 – 1974 (aged 90–91). Nathaniel B. Wales was an inventor.
Nathaniel Brackett Wales (11 July 1883, Braintree, Massachusetts – November 15, 1974) was an American inventor credited with early patents on refrigerators, washers, vacuum cleaners, and co-inventor with his son of the proximity detonator used in bombs in World War II.
Wales graduated from Harvard College in 1905. They had two children and were divorced in July 1923. In 1928, he married Mary van Wagenen Terry. His final wife was Madge Mariner (1885-1978).
His daughter Natalie Scarritt Wales (1909-2013), best known as Lady Natalie Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton, was a socialite and philanthropist known for organizing the "Bundles for Britain" campaign during World War II. His son Nathaniel Brackett Wales, Jr. (1915–1969) graduated from Harvard College in 1937. He was a physicist and inventor with over 75 patents.
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Important facts
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Nathaniel B. Wales?
American inventor
When was Nathaniel B. Wales born?
Nathaniel B. Wales was born in 1883.
When did Nathaniel B. Wales die?
Nathaniel B. Wales died in 1974.
What was Nathaniel B. Wales's occupation?
Nathaniel B. Wales was an inventor.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Nathaniel B. Wales
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Nathaniel B. Wales. https://biography.guide/nathaniel-b-wales/
MLA: "Nathaniel B. Wales." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/nathaniel-b-wales/.
Chicago: "Nathaniel B. Wales." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/nathaniel-b-wales/.
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