Abraham Lincoln's patent

Lore & Background

Abraham Lincoln conceived his invention after two incidents where boats he traveled on became stuck on river obstructions. The first occurred in 1831 when a flatboat he was on got hung up on a milldam on the Sangamon River; Lincoln unloaded cargo, drilled a hole to drain water, and portaged the boat over the dam. The second incident happened in 1848 when a steamboat he was aboard was stranded on a shoal; the crew forced empty barrels and planks under the vessel to buoy it over the shallow water. These experiences led Lincoln to design a system of waterproof fabric bladders that could be inflated along a boat's sides to lift it over shoals.

Lincoln filed his patent application on March 10, 1849, with the help of patent attorney Zenas C. Robbins, and it was granted as Patent No. 6,469 on May 22, 1849. He built a scale model of the device with the assistance of Springfield mechanic Walter Davis, which is now held by the Smithsonian Institution. The device was never produced for practical use, and a Smithsonian curator concluded that Lincoln's version was not practical because it required too much force to operate. The original patent documentation was rediscovered in 1997.

Reader's Guide

Lincoln's patent is historically significant as the only patent ever granted to a U.S. president, illustrating his hands-on engagement with innovation and the patent system. His experiences as an inventor and patent attorney shaped his deep belief in the efficacy of patent law, which he viewed as an engine for economic development. Lincoln delivered two lectures on patents while president and praised the patent system for securing exclusive rights to inventors and adding to the interest of genius in discovery. His involvement in patent litigation, including the 'Reaper Case' of McCormick v. Manny, where he served as co-counsel alongside future Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, further underscores his legal expertise. The patent model and rediscovered documentation remain important artifacts at the Smithsonian, preserving a unique intersection of Lincoln's political, legal, and inventive pursuits.

Did You Know?

• Lincoln is the only U.S. president to hold a patent.
• His patent was issued as Patent No. 6,469 on May 22, 1849.
• The original patent documentation was rediscovered in 1997.
• Lincoln's scale model of the invention is on display at the Smithsonian Institution.