Kennith Gidge (born May 26, 1946) is an American politician, artist, and inventor who served as a member of the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...

from the Hillsborough District 33.

Early life

Gidge was born deaf in one ear. As a result, he had to repeat both the first and second grade. His partial deafness was not discovered until he reached third grade. His disability could not be improved with a hearing aid, so his teachers taught him to read lips. This skill helped him finish elementary school and complete his high school studies. In the 1960s, Gidge moved to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to study acting and art. He supported himself by working as a bartender. He eventually quit his studies and returned to

Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. Along with Manc ...

Career

In 1978, Gidge invented two energy saving devices, "Le Door" and "Le Frigidoor". These inventions were marketed nationally and internationally. During this period he became aware that inventions were regularly stolen and decided to try and stop this from happening, so he created a committee called the National Inventors Award Committee to honor inventors and inventions. He hosted then-Vice President,

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

and

Barbara Bush Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of President George H. W. Bush, and the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She previously was ...

to come to Nashua for the National Inventors Award Committee's event. Gidge was elected to the

in 2007. He took office in 2008.Representative Kenneth Gidge (D)
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Early life

Career

References

Further reading