Mary Dixon Kies

Mary Dixon Kies (March 21, 1752 – 1837) was an American inventor. On May 5, 1809, her patent for a new technique of weaving straw with silk and thread to make hats was signed by President James Madison.[1]

Some sources say she was the first woman to receive a US patent,[2][3] however other sources cite Hannah Slater in 1793,[4][5][6] or Hazel Irwin, who received a patent for a cheese press in 1808,[7][4] as the first.

  1. ^ "Mary Kies Became the First Woman to Receive a U.S. Patent". America's Story from America's Library. Library of Congress. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  2. ^ Blakemore, Erin. "Meet Mary Kies, America's First Woman to Become a Patent Holder". Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  3. ^ "First Women Inventors | History of American Women". www.womenhistoryblog.com. January 3, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Progress and Potential: A profile of women inventors on U.S. patents United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  5. ^ "Women Inventors | History Detectives | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  6. ^ "10 Key Dates in Women's History: The Early Modern Period". Britannica Blog. Encyclopædia Britannica. March 10, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  7. ^ “Not for Ornament”: Patenting Activity by Nineteenth-Century Women Inventors”, by B. Zorina Khan, Journal of Interdisciplinary History, xxxi:2 (Autumn, 2000), 159–195.