Early Life and Education:
– Michael Joseph Owens was born on January 1, 1859, in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
– His parents were Joseph Owens and Mary Owens (née Chapman) from County Wexford, Ireland.
– His father worked as a coal miner.
– Owens left school at 10 to start a glassware apprenticeship in Wheeling, West Virginia.
– He began his apprenticeship at J. H. Hobbs, Brockunier and Company.
Career:
– Owens moved to Toledo, Ohio, in 1888 and worked at the Toledo Glass Factory.
– He was promoted to foreman and later supervisor.
– Owens simplified the glass bulb-making process for Edison General Electric’s electric lights.
– He invented a mold-opening device and a paste to prevent bulbs from sticking.
– In 1903, he founded the Owens Bottle Machine Company.
Personal Life:
– Owens married Mary E. McKelvey in 1890.
– They had two children: Hazel Augusta Owens and John Raymond Owens.
– After Mary’s death, Owens remarried Mollie Owens and had two more children.
– He passed away on December 27, 1923, in Toledo, Ohio.
– His second family included Ray Owens and Florence Owens.
Patents:
– U.S. patent 534,840: Apparatus for blowing glass.
– U.S. patent 548,587: Machine for blowing glass.
– U.S. patent 548,588: Machine for blowing glass.
– U.S. patent 766,768: Glass Shaping Machine.
– U.S. patent 774,690: Glass Shaping Machine.
References:
– Michael Joseph Owens is featured in The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography.
– Information about Owens can be found on e-WV.
– Owens is recognized in the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
– The American Society of Mechanical Engineers designated Owens’ AR Bottle Machine as a historic engineering landmark.
– The New York Times reported on Owens’ passing in 1923.
Michael Joseph Owens (January 1, 1859 – December 27, 1923) was an inventor of machines to automate the production of glass bottles.
Michael Joseph Owens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 1, 1859 Mason County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | December 27, 1923 (aged 64) Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Spouse | Mary E. McKelvey
(m. 1890) |
| Children | 4 |
| Engineering career | |
| Projects | automated production of glass bottles |
| Awards | Elliott Cresson Medal (1915) |