Howe, Elias (1819-1867), an American inventor, constructed a practical sewing machine. He patented it in 1846. Howe’s sewing machine symbolized the important role in American industry of increasing mechanization during the 1800’s.
Howe was born on July 9, 1819, in Spencer, Massachusetts. As a young man, he went to Boston to learn the machinist trade. While apprenticed to a scientific-instrument maker in Cambridge, he overheard a remark that the person who produced a workable sewing machine would make a fortune. In 1845, he finished a machine that sewed 250 stitches a minute, but he was not able to find a market for it.
Howe went to England and sold British rights to the machine. He returned to the United States in 1849. While Howe was in England, others, including Isaac Singer, started manufacturing sewing machines. After a long campaign, Howe established in 1854 his right to collect royalties on all machines manufactured. He died on Oct. 3, 1867.
