Nathaniel Brackett Wales (11 July 1883,

Braintree, Massachusetts Braintree (), officially the Town of Braintree, is a municipality in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a towBraintree is a city, with a mayor-council government, mayor-council form of government, and ...

– November 15, 1974) was an American inventor credited with early patents on refrigerators,

washers Washer most commonly refers to: * Washer (hardware), a thin usually disc-shaped plate with a hole in the middle typically used with a bolt or nut *Washing machine, for cleaning clothes Washer may also refer to: *Dishwasher, a machine for clean ...

vacuum cleaner A vacuum cleaner, also known simply as a vacuum or a hoover, is a device that causes suction in order to remove dirt from floors, upholstery, draperies, and other surfaces. It is generally electrically driven. The dirt is collected by either a ...

s, and co-inventor with his son of the proximity detonator used in bombs in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

.New York Times:NATHANIEL WALES, INVENTOR, 91, DIES; Physicist Held Patents on Refrigerators, Washers;November 18, 1974
/ref> Wales graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1905. He was the founder of the

Kelvinator Kelvinator was an American home appliance manufacturer and a line of domestic refrigerators that was the namesake of the company. Although as a company it is now defunct, the name still exists as a brand name owned by Electrolux AB. It takes its ...

home appliance company in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

in 1914. His daughter Natalie Scarritt Wales (1909-2013), best known as

Lady Natalie Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton Lady Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton CBE (born Natalie Scarritt Wales in Cohasset, Massachusetts, August 6, 1909; died Andover, New Jersey, January 14, 2013) was an American socialite and philanthropist best known for organizing the "Bundles for Britai ...

, was a socialite and philanthropist known for organizing the "Bundles for Britain" campaign during World War II. His son Nathaniel Brackett Wales, Jr. (1915–1969) graduated from Harvard College in 1937. He was a physicist and inventor with over 75 patents. In 1908 in

Bridgewater, Massachusetts Bridgewater is a town located in Plymouth County, in the state of Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town's population was 28,633. Bridgewater is located approximately south of Boston and approximately 35 miles east ...

, Nathaniel B. Wales, Sr. married Enid Mariner Scarritt (1889-1972). They had two children and were divorced in July 1923. In 1928, he married Mary van Wagenen Terry. His final wife was Madge Mariner (1885-1978).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wales, Nathaniel B. 1883 births 1974 deaths Harvard College alumni 20th-century American inventors