About Van Ellis Huff
Lived 1894 – 1987 (aged 92–93). Van Ellis Huff was an American businessperson, known for Jalousie window.
Van Ellis Huff (1894 – 1987) was a University of Florida trained engineer who popularized residential use of a combination jalousie window. Drawing inspiration from common wooden slat windows he'd become familiar with in the Bahamas, he designed a hand-cranked glass, aluminum and screen window version that found widespread use in temperate climates before the advent of air conditioning.
Fitted also in cooler regions in porches and sunrooms, jalousies became a multimillion-dollar industry and the company Huff had built to manufacture them prospered. However, amid complaints over underbidding and his salesmen's tactics, Huff sold his share in 1956 and retired.
Huff is sometimes referred to inaccurately as the "inventor" of the jalousie window. The first patent for such a window, #687705, was applied for on Nov. 26, 1901, by Joseph W. Walker.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Van Ellis Huff's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Van Ellis Huff?
American inventor
When was Van Ellis Huff born?
Van Ellis Huff was born in 1894.
When did Van Ellis Huff die?
Van Ellis Huff died in 1987.
What was Van Ellis Huff's occupation?
Van Ellis Huff was a businessperson.
What was Van Ellis Huff known for?
Van Ellis Huff was known for Jalousie window.
What nationality was Van Ellis Huff?
Van Ellis Huff was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Van Ellis Huff. https://biography.guide/van-ellis-huff/
MLA: "Van Ellis Huff." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/van-ellis-huff/.
Chicago: "Van Ellis Huff." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/van-ellis-huff/.
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