Cornelius Swartwout (July 25, 1839 – December 17, 1910) was an American inventor who filed an early US

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

related to

waffle iron A waffle iron or waffle maker is a utensil or appliance used to cook waffles. It comprises two metal plates with a connecting hinge, molded to create the honeycomb pattern found on waffles. The iron is heated and either batter is poured or dou ...

Biography

Swartwout was born in

Westerlo, New York Westerlo is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 3,194 at the 2020 census. The town is on the southern border of Albany County and is served by New York State Route 143. History Westerlo was formed from ...

, the grandson of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

military veteran Cornelius Swartwout. The Swartwout family lineage goes back to

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

. He enlisted in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in July 1861, serving with the 3rd New York Cavalry.

Waffle iron and US patent

The earliest

s were not the work of Mr. Swartwout; instead, they originated in the Netherlands circa 14th century. They were typically made of two hinged iron plates connected to two long wooden handles, the plates often imprinted elaborate patterns on the waffles, coat of arms, landscapes, religious symbols, and the like. These irons were held over a hearth fire for baking. On August 24, 1869, Swartwout was awarded a US patent for an "Improvement in Waffle-Irons", consisting of a novel handle for opening, closing and turning a stovetop waffle iron. His

invention An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an i ...

looked nothing like modern electric models. Fashioned to sit on wood or gas stoves, the cast-iron plates were joined by a hinge that swiveled in a cast-iron collar.

Legacy

In memory of Swartwout's patent, National Waffle Day in the United States is celebrated on August 24 each year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swartwout, Cornelius 1839 births 1910 deaths 19th-century American inventors Waffles People from Westerlo, New York Union Army soldiers American people of Dutch descent