Who Was the First Woman to Receive a Patent?

Who was the first woman to receive a patent? Laws protecting inventions were solidified in 1790 with the Patent Act, designed to safeguard someone's invention from unauthorized manufacture, sale or distribution. It took some time before women took advantage of this act, and the first woman to receive a US patent on an invention was Mary Dixon Kies in 1809.

The Patent Act
Prior to 1790, each state had its own laws for patents and regulations on monopolies. The Patent Act of 1790 attempted to encourage inventors by protecting their contributions, experiments and inventions. For a limited time, a patent would secure the rights to the invention and prevent others from copying and profiting from another person's hard work. The act made it possible to patent an invention by any man or woman who was a citizen of the United States. However, it would take nearly 20 years for a woman to avail herself of these rights because, in the late 1700s and early 1800s, a woman's property belonged to her husband. Also, since fewer women were educated in the arts and sciences, they subsequently produced far fewer inventions.

Who is Mary Dixon Kies?
Mary Dixon Kies was born in 1752 in Connecticut to humble parents; her father was a farmer. Kies was one of many American women who worked in the straw-weaving industry, making straw hats and other products. When Kies came up with an improved way to weave straw and silk together, she filed a patent on the technique in 1809. This meant no other person or company could manufacture hats using the same process.

The Significance Of Mary Dixon Kies
The technique invented by Kies boosted the depressed New England economy and earned praise from First Lady Dolley Madison, as straw-weaving was one of a handful of prospering industries during the War of 1812. Kies did not make money from her idea, but she did make a considerable contribution to American manufacturing and fashion, and she opened the door for other female inventors.