Figure 136. — Allen Benjamin Wilson, 1824-1888. 

 From a drawing owned by the Singer Mfg. Co. 

 Formerly, the drawing was owned by the Wheeler 

 & Wilson Mfg. Co. (Smithsonian photo 32066.) 



render an account. The Wilson patents with their 

 extended terms were worth a much larger sum. 

 They have been public property, so far as the feed 

 is concerned, since June 15, 1873, and will remain so 

 if too great a pressure is not brought to bear on 

 Congress for their extension. A monopoly of this 

 feed motion for seven years more would be worth 

 from ten to thirty millions to the owner — and would 

 cost the people four times as much. 



Wilson had not made the millions for he only received 

 a small percentage of the renewals' earnings plus his 

 salary from the patents' owner, the Wheeler and Wilson 

 Manufacturing Company. 



The Congressional Committee on Patents made an 

 adverse report in 1874 and again in 1875 and 1876, 

 when applications for an extension were continued 



Wilson died on April 29. 1888. 



ISAAC MERRITT SIXGER 



Isaac Singer, whose name is known around the world 

 as a manufacturer of sewing machines, was the eighth 

 child of poor German immigrants. Isaac was born on 

 October 27, 1811, in Pittstown. New York, but most of 



Committee on Patents.* There was strong feeling 

 against the extension of the Wilson patents. The New 

 York Daily Graphic, December 30, 1874, reported: 



So valuable has been this latter four-motion feed that 

 few or no cloth-sewing machines are now made with- 

 out it. The joint ownership of this feature of the 

 Wilson patents has served to bind the combination 

 of sewing-machine builders together, and enabled 

 them to defy competition by force of the monopoly. 

 It is this feature which the combination wishes to 

 further monopolize for seven years by act of Congress. 

 The inventor has probably realized millions for his 

 invention. Singer admits that his patents, which are 

 much less important, paid him two millions prior to 

 1870, since which time he has not been compelled to 



* The Proceedings and Debates of the 43rd Congress, First Session, 

 1874 Congressional Record, vol. 2, part 3, petition read 

 to the House by Mr. Creamer on April 7, 1874. In part 4 

 of the same, Mr. Buckingham read a similar petition to 

 the Senate on May 19, 1874. Both were referred to the 

 Committee on Patents; an extension was not granted. 



Figure 137. — Isaac Merritt Singer, 1811-1875. 

 From a charcoal drawing owned by the Singer 

 Mfg. Co. (Smithsonian photo 32066-B ) 



142 



