Inventor of the first automatic dishwasher

JOSEPHINE COCHRANE

2019-11-06 -

Josephine Garis Cochran (later Cochrane) (Mar 8, 1839 in Ashtabula County, Ohio – Aug 3, 1913 (age 72) in Chicago, Illinois) was the inventor of the first commercially successful automatic dishwasher, which she designed in the shed behind her home, she then constructed it engaging the assitance of mechanic George Butters who became one of her first employees.

Once her patent issued in Dec 28, 1886, she founded Garis-Cochrane Manufacturing Company to manufacture her machines at that time. Cochrane showed her new machine at a Chicago Fair in 1893 where nine Garis-Cochran washers were installed in the restaurants and pavilions of the fair and was met with interest from restaurants and hotels, where hot water access was not an issue. She won the highest prize for “best mechanical construction, durability and adaptation to its line of work” at the Fair. GarisCochran Manufacturing Company, which built both hand and power operated dishwashers, grew through a focus on hotels and other commercial customers and was renamed as Cochran’s Crescent Washing Machine Company in 1897.

Cochran’s Crescent Washing Machine Company became part of KitchenAid through acquisition by Hobart Manufacturing Company after Cochran’s death in 1913, who first grew the commercial business, and in 1949, the first KitchenAid dishwasher based on Cochran’s design was introduced to the public. By the 1950s, most households had access to hot water which had been limited in the past and cultural attitudes regarding the role of women were shifting so the consumer home market opened for dishwashers in the 1950s. Cochran was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006 for patent 355,139 issued on Dec 28, 1886 for her invention of the dishwasher.

She was born Josephine Garis in Ashtabula County, Ohio, on Mar 8, 1839 and raised in Valparaiso, Indiana. Cochrane was the daughter of John Garis, a civil engineer, and Irene Fitch Garis. Her maternal grandfather, John Fitch, was an inventor who was awarded a steamboat patent.

After moving to her sister’s home in Shelbyville, Illinois, she married William Cochran on Oct 13, 1858. William had returned the year before from a disappointing try at the California Gold Rush, but had gone on to become a prosperous dry goods merchant and Democratic Party politician. Josephine and William had 2 children: Hallie and Katharine.

In 1870 the family moved into a mansion and she joined Chicago society. There the Cochrans began throwing dinner parties using heirloom porcelain dating from the 1600s. After one event, the servants carelessly chipped some of the dishes, prompting her to search for a better alternative handwashing the China. She also wanted to relieve tired housewives from the duty of washing dishes after a meal. Another thing that motivated Josephine was that husband died in 1883 when she was 45 years old.

Death and recognition

Cochrane died of a stroke or exhaustion in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug14, 1913, and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Shelbyville, Illinois. In 2006 she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. 1. Which one of following has maximum population on Earth?

A amphibians

B reptiles

C birds D fishes

2. ELISA test is prescribed for

A hepatitis C diphtheria B cancer D AIDS

3. Osaka (Japan) is known as

A Manchester of the orient C land of cakes B land of morning calm D queen of the Adriatic

4. Which one of following is commonest element in Earth? A iron C phosphorous B lithium D gold and silver

5. Kerosene Oil is an example of

A essential oil C natural oil B vegetable oil D mineral oil

6. Trout, carp and, barracuda are names of what? A Fish C Animals

B Bird D Reptiles