Irving Naxon | |
---|---|
Born |
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. | February 26, 1902
Died | September 22, 1989
Evanston, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 87)
Occupation(s) | Inventor, proprietor, telegraphist |
Employer(s) |
Canadian Pacific Railway Western Electric |
Works | Slow cooker |
Irving Naxon (February 26, 1902 – September 22, 1989) was an American inventor, who is most famous for inventing and patenting the slow cooker. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Naxon was also the first Jewish engineer who worked for Western Electric. [1]
Naxon was born in 1902 in Jersey City, New Jersey with the birth name Irving Nachumsohn. [1] His mother had immigrated to the United States from Lithuania. [6] [7] A 1950 advertisement shows a slow cooker called the "Simmer Crock" made by the Industrial Radiant Heat Corp. of Gladstone, NJ. [8] [1] His father died when he was two years old. [4] He had two siblings, an older brother – Meyer – and a younger sister – Sadie. [4] After his father's death, his family moved from Jersey City to Fargo, North Dakota, and then to Winnipeg, Manitoba. [1] [4] Naxon's mother moved him and his siblings to Winnipeg so that her oldest son, Meyer, could avoid the World War I draft. [1] [4] While in Canada, Naxon studied electrical engineering through a correspondence course. [1] [4] [5] He moved back to Chicago sometime after. [1] [4] He married his wife Fern and they had three daughters, Jewel, Eileen, and Lenore. [3] [4]
In 1945, he changed his name from Nachumsohn to Naxon due to anti-German sentiment after WWII. [4]
After receiving his electrical engineering training, Naxon worked as a telegrapher for the Canadian Pacific Railway. [4] He later moved to Chicago and became the Western Electric’s first Jewish engineer. [1] [4] He continued working on his inventions outside of work and passed the patent bar exam to avoid hiring a lawyer. [1] He founded his own company – Naxon Utilities Corporation. [1]
In 1936, Naxon applied for a patent for the slow cooker. [4] [9] On January 23, 1940, he received that patent. [2] [4] The first iteration of Naxon's slow cooker was The Boston Beanery and later the Naxon Beanery and Flavor Crock. [1] [2] [4] In 1970, Naxon retired and sold his business and his patent for the slowcooker to the Rival Company for a lump sum rather than stock. [1] [4] [5] Rival Company rebranded Naxon's invention into what is now known as the Crock Pot. [1]
In addition to the slow cooker, Naxon also invented several other appliances and has over 200 patents to his name. [4] [5] He invented an electric frying pan and the hula lamp, a precursor to the lava lamp. [1] [5] Another notable invention of Naxon is his TeleSign, an electronic sign that shows moving text resembling today's news ticker. [1] [10] [5]
Naxon died on September 22, 1989, in an Evanston nursing home. [3] At the time, he was survived by his wife, three daughters, and five grandchildren. [3]
Irving Naxon | |
---|---|
Born |
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. | February 26, 1902
Died | September 22, 1989
Evanston, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 87)
Occupation(s) | Inventor, proprietor, telegraphist |
Employer(s) |
Canadian Pacific Railway Western Electric |
Works | Slow cooker |
Irving Naxon (February 26, 1902 – September 22, 1989) was an American inventor, who is most famous for inventing and patenting the slow cooker. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Naxon was also the first Jewish engineer who worked for Western Electric. [1]
Naxon was born in 1902 in Jersey City, New Jersey with the birth name Irving Nachumsohn. [1] His mother had immigrated to the United States from Lithuania. [6] [7] A 1950 advertisement shows a slow cooker called the "Simmer Crock" made by the Industrial Radiant Heat Corp. of Gladstone, NJ. [8] [1] His father died when he was two years old. [4] He had two siblings, an older brother – Meyer – and a younger sister – Sadie. [4] After his father's death, his family moved from Jersey City to Fargo, North Dakota, and then to Winnipeg, Manitoba. [1] [4] Naxon's mother moved him and his siblings to Winnipeg so that her oldest son, Meyer, could avoid the World War I draft. [1] [4] While in Canada, Naxon studied electrical engineering through a correspondence course. [1] [4] [5] He moved back to Chicago sometime after. [1] [4] He married his wife Fern and they had three daughters, Jewel, Eileen, and Lenore. [3] [4]
In 1945, he changed his name from Nachumsohn to Naxon due to anti-German sentiment after WWII. [4]
After receiving his electrical engineering training, Naxon worked as a telegrapher for the Canadian Pacific Railway. [4] He later moved to Chicago and became the Western Electric’s first Jewish engineer. [1] [4] He continued working on his inventions outside of work and passed the patent bar exam to avoid hiring a lawyer. [1] He founded his own company – Naxon Utilities Corporation. [1]
In 1936, Naxon applied for a patent for the slow cooker. [4] [9] On January 23, 1940, he received that patent. [2] [4] The first iteration of Naxon's slow cooker was The Boston Beanery and later the Naxon Beanery and Flavor Crock. [1] [2] [4] In 1970, Naxon retired and sold his business and his patent for the slowcooker to the Rival Company for a lump sum rather than stock. [1] [4] [5] Rival Company rebranded Naxon's invention into what is now known as the Crock Pot. [1]
In addition to the slow cooker, Naxon also invented several other appliances and has over 200 patents to his name. [4] [5] He invented an electric frying pan and the hula lamp, a precursor to the lava lamp. [1] [5] Another notable invention of Naxon is his TeleSign, an electronic sign that shows moving text resembling today's news ticker. [1] [10] [5]
Naxon died on September 22, 1989, in an Evanston nursing home. [3] At the time, he was survived by his wife, three daughters, and five grandchildren. [3]