Harriet Tracy

Harriet Tracy
Born
Harriet Ruth Brisbane

December 6, 1834
Charleston, NC.
DiedMay 30, 1918 (84 years old)
Brentford, England
NationalityAmerican
Notable workTracy Gravity Safety Elevator

Harriet Ruth Brisbane Tracy (1834-1918) was born on December 6, 1834, in Charleston, South Carolina. She was a prolific and successful inventor who is credited to have received 27 patents from 1868 to 1915.[1] These patents were in a multitude of fields such as elevators, sewing machines, and crib attachments. Of the 27 patents, six were for elevators and seventeen were for sewing machines. Ten of these patents came during a very productive period from 1890 to 1893.[2] Of her inventions, the most renowned was her Tracy Gravity Safety Elevator. This system was designed to address the pain point of inefficiencies and frequent accidents in elevator systems at the time.[3]. This innovation was first installed and recognised in the Women's Building at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition. Tracy’s other notable innovations were her sewing machines and crib attachments. One demonstration of Tracy's ability to adapt and her knack for innovation are her multiple other contributions, for example her contributions to innovation in folding beds.[4] She died on May 30, 1918, at the age of 83; according to her obituary she was also "gifted as a writer of verse and prose", contributing frequently to "magazines and periodicals."[5]

  1. ^ "Woman Inventor: Harriet Ruth Tracy's 19th Century Patents". Hagley. 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  2. ^ Stanley, Autumn (1995). Mothers and Daughters of Invention: Notes for a Revised History of Technology. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-2197-8.
  3. ^ "NWHM Virtual Exhibit: Inventive Women". National Women's History Museum. 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  4. ^ "Harriet Ruth Tracy". geni_family_tree. 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  5. ^ Eduardo Haviland Hillman (1874-1947 (17 July 1918). "Death of Mrs. Harriet Ruth Brisbane Tracy". Charleston News & Courier.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)