Graham, Bette Nesmith (1924-1980), invented correction fluid, a widely used office product. Before computers, typists used correction fluid to cover up their mistakes. Nesmith’s invention, sold under the trade name Liquid Paper, remains a popular product.
Life.
Bette Clair McMurray was born on March 23, 1924, in Dallas. She dropped out of high school at the age of 17. She married Warren Nesmith, an automobile parts clerk, in 1942. The couple had a son, Michael. The Nesmiths soon divorced. Bette raised her son alone and worked as an executive secretary. Later, she took the name of her second husband, Robert Graham, whom she married in 1962.
Invention.
By the 1950’s, electric typewriters had become essential office tools. Many typewriters used film covered in carbon powder to print letters on paper. The dark type made it difficult to erase errors. Nesmith knew that painters covered mistakes by adding extra layers of paint. She applied this idea to typed papers, dabbing white paint over typed mistakes. Nesmith eventually shared her correction fluid with colleagues. She asked chemistry and paint experts for advice and experimented with her kitchen blender to improve her formula.
Nesmith bottled the fluid, labeling it Mistake Out. She began running her Mistake Out Company from her home in 1956. Her son, Michael Nesmith—who later became a famous musician with the 1960’s rock group the Monkees—helped fill customer orders. In 1958, Nesmith applied for a patent and trademark on her product, which she had renamed Liquid Paper. Within 10 years, her company grew to a million-dollar business. She died on May 12, 1980.
