Frederick Everhart McKinley from Wellington, Kansas, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 263558 was issued on August 29, 1882.
This model has a singular bench seat with wooden hinges that come from underneath two front legs. The desk is attached to a backrest that has two slots underneath. The design promised better support and strength than previously made desks. The desk could swing downward, and the seat would be able to swing up. The desk is made of unpolished slats of light colored wood.
Frederick Everhart McKinley was a carpenter born in 1850.
John Peard from New York City received a U.S. patent for an improved desk and settee combined. Patent no. 138183 was issued on April 22, 1872.
This desk is made of wood and cast metal and can be detached from the chair. The rectangular back has graduated horizontal slats and is attached to a pair of cast metal supports. The rectangular seat has four horizontal slats, which fold up against the back. The back legs are joined with a trefoil motif to the front legs. A pair of metal bars supporting a seat is attached to the legs. The desk is attached to a wooden platform.
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
Morris Lancaster from Richmond, Indiana, received a U.S. patent for an improved hinge to work with the school desk lid. Patent no. 181689 was issued on August 29, 1876.
This model features a combination of wood and metal. The patent has a new mechanism called a “pawl” or “dog” that acted as a stop concerning the desk lid. This held the lid in position and operated automatically to hold or release it.
Morris Lancaster was born in 1842 and became a carpenter in Richmond, Indiana.
Joe V. Meigs from Lowell, Massachusetts, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 151898 was issued on June 9, 1874.
This model is made of wood and cast iron. The desks are attached at the back and the seats face one another. They are mounted on a wooden platform. The patent stressed comfort and claimed the desk would, “avoid fatigue and distortion of the body.” His model is rather decorative with a diamond design, made up of metal bars that cross each other. The tops are made out of wood or iron but if iron is used he encouraged the metal to be japanned, enameled, or marbleized, adding further decoration. The desk is designed to be very practical, and the whole desk comes apart to be easily transported. There are two black seats curved and connected by cast iron. The two seats are facing one another and placed on a wooden base.
Joseph Vincent Meigs was born June 17, 1840, into a prominent family from Nashville, Tennessee. His father was attorney, Whig state senator, and publisher, Return Jonathan Meigs. Joe V. Meigs created his first invention, a railroad coupling, at the age of fourteen. He became a patent lawyer, but his mechanical skills also allowed him to become a prolific inventor. He was granted twenty- two patents for various inventions including the school desk, a reclining chair, and automatic fishing pole. His family supported the Union during the Civil War, and in 1864 he took command as captain of Battery A of the 2nd Black Light Artillery Battalion U.S. Colored Troops. After inventing a breech-loading firearm, he was hired by the U.S. Cartridge Company, where he served as chief inventor. His most ambitious invention was a steam driven elevated monorail called the Meigs Elevated Railway, designed to improve rapid transit. A quarter mile of track was constructed in Cambridge, Massachusetts 1885-1886 to promote his design but construction delays, politics, and his distrust of the use of electricity for new designs impeded his success. He died November 14,1907 in Boston, Massachusetts..
David I. Stagg from New York received a U.S. patent for an improved seat. Patent no. 45091 was issued on November 15, 1864.
This model is a bench seat that can fit two people. The bottom of the seat has the ability to fold upward so that it will not be in the way of people walking between the seats. There are small designs where the seat and backrest meet. The backrest has three horizontal pieces of wood or slats that are spaced for back support . It is made for both schools and public buildings.
David I. Stagg was born in 1817. For fifty years he served as an apprentice and journeyman in the New York school system. In his last post he served as Superintendent of School Buildings, overseeing school construction. He died in 1886.
David I. Stagg from New York received a U.S. patent for an improved seat and desk. Patent no. 58908 was issued on October 16, 1866.
This model functions as a seat and desk or simply as a seat. This is accomplished by a design allowing the desk to be placed to the side. The desk is made of a dark, unpolished, red-tinted wood with brass tacks and a junction for the desk that is on a metal rod. There is storage available under the seat. here are no curves for back support, and the seat is on a completely wooden foundation. It is meant to accommodate both children and adults.
David I. Stagg was born September 6, 1816 in Patterson, New Jersey. For fifty years he served as an apprentice and journeyman in the New York school system. In his last post he served the New York City Board of Education as Superintendent of School Buildings, overseeing school construction from 1872-1886. The museum owns four of his school desk patent models. He died May 11, 1886.
William A. Slaymaker, from Louisville, Kentucky, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk and seat. Patent no. 109770 was issued on November 29, 1870.
This desk is made of unpolished wood with brass legs and hinges on a metal base. The backrest and seat are both flat, and the desk, attached from behind, folds down. There is no storage underneath the desktop.
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
William Blackburn from Manchester, Great Britain, received a British patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 127839 was issued on June 11, 1872.
This desk is made of a combination of wood and iron and can be used as a desk or a table. The adjustable design allowed the desk to be used in schools or places of assembly. The desks adjust with the use of metal hinges. The backrest is made up of slats that do not connect for lower back support, is made of darker wood than the seat, and is polished. The desk sits on a metal base of two long feet that connect each side’s back and front.
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
G. A. Stewart from Des Moines, Iowa, received a U.S. patent for an improved folding school desk and seat. Patent no. 85544 was issued on January 5, 1869.
This desk features both a seat and lid that lift up. There is storage underneath the desk. It has metal hinges. "G.A. Stewart, Inventor, Des Moines, Iowa School Desk and Seat Combined," painted in blue, is on the patent. There is also a blue, painted design along the sides of the chair and desk.
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
Thomas Gregg from Montour, Pennsylvania, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 119515 was issued on October 3, 1871.
This model features exposed joints and brass nails which hold the desktop and tendon cross members forming the back and seat. Mounted on a platform, the framework is made up of brass and is decorative in design. The desktop does not lift up, but there is a shelf underneath for storage.
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
Eldridge J. Smith from Washington, D.C., received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk and seat. Patent no. 128432 was issued on June 25, 1872.
This patent featured a school seat and desk that improved adjustability. Only the seat exists from the original model. There are small nails that hold the wooden slates to a circular wooden frame.
Eldridge J. Smith was born in 1825 and became a patent lawyer in Washington, D.C.
James S. Rankin from Muscoda, Minnesota, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 211521 was issued on January 21, 1879.
This model has four seats with a slat of wood for a backrest and sits on a wooden base. The seats connect to each other, side by side, by a piece of wood that also connects to the desk, so two chairs share one desk. This desk model was considered an improvement in school desks because it was a double desk that would separate students like a single desk. The backs are elastic and adjustable. The backrest is made to fit under the shoulder blades and designed so that no hard points or surfaces are touching the spine. This would make the chair more comfortable to sit in. The chair was meant to support the students so they might have an "erect and natural position." It was considered easy to access and allowed easy sweeping of the floors.
James S. Rankin was born in 1818. He served as a county and city superintendent of schools in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was known for the Rankin School Desk, which was popular because it was inexpensive and convenient. These desks were used in Louisville, Kentucky; Chicago, Illinois, and many other city schools. His desk was exhibited in the Mechanic’s Hall at the Indiana State Fair where it was recommended for first premium, a cash award. He died in 1897.
William A. Bradford from Goshen, Indiana, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 170810 was issued on December 12, 1875.
This model is a combination of thick cast iron and wood. The ironwork features a scrollwork design and Romanesque arches along the side of the desktop. The seat folds up, but the desk is attached to the back of the backrest and does not lift up. The seat and backrest are curved and joined for lower back support. There are metal hinges and the legs have feet with holes in them to allow the desk to be mounted to the platform. Stops were used below the seat hinges to allow greater control of movement. The stops were a part of another patent filed by Bradford.
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
John Peard from New York City received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 190896 was issued on May 15, 1877.
This desk sits on a wooden platform with a bench seat that can fold up. The patent features holes punched into the wood to form a design. It has a slatted wooden platform with metal hinges. The desk is attached to the backrest. There is a shelf underneath the desk top for storage.
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
Wendell Phillips Hood from Winona, Minnesota, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 121287 was issued on November 28, 1871.
This school desk securely held writing slates in place, preventing breakage. The desk and seat easily fold up to leave space for students and also leave room for cleaning purposes. A spring bolt allows the desk to lock when folded. The desk has close slats and a wooden backrest. The legs and feet are made out of metal and mounted to a wooden platform. There is an ink well secured to the desk. The desktop does not lift up or fold, and there is no storage. A silver plate on the desk reads: "Folding School Seat and Desk Wendell P. Hood, Winona Minn."
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
Charles F. Hill from Hazelton, Pennsylvania, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 216676 was issued on June 17, 1879.
This model featured the design for a desk that would be cheap, simple, and also durable. The desk is made out of wood and iron. It has a slatted seat and back rest that join together. The desk folds down and has an angled decline towards the chair. The ironwork is painted green and gold. The seat is curved for back support, and there is also a footrest bar. There are two shelves under the desk top for storage.
We are not aware of any additional information about the inventor/patentee.
Herbert L. Andrews from Chicago, Illinois, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 82061 was issued on September 15, 1868.
This desk has a square wooden top and three brass legs connected to the bottom of the desktop. The metal work is considered Gothic, with a diamond-shaped pattern. The monobloc and hinges are brass colored with two knobs so the height of the desk can be raised or lowered. The seat is adjustable in height, which allows the two parts to be held together more securely. This desk was produced by A.H. Andrews & Co. in 1870 in Chicago. It was made in six sizes and called the "Triumph School Desk." The desk got a good deal of acclaim and was exhibited at the International State Industrial Exposition in Chicago in 1873. It was displayed again at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, where it won an award for "strength, durability, and good form." According to Andrews he sold over 50,000 of these school desks yearly.
Herbert Lee Andrews was born in New Britain, Connecticut, on June 6, 1844. He was educated in public schools and taught for a short period in Meriden and Plantsville, Connecticut. In 1868 he moved to Chicago and entered into manufacturing with his brother Alfred H. Andrews. They were partners in the A. H. Andrews & Co. The National Cyclopedia of American Biography (1917) states that Herbert Lee Andrews was the inventor of the first folding seat school desk. He made other desks as well as opera chairs, a dustless blackboard eraser, and an ink well. He also created steel rod framed chairs, tables, and stools, which became a staple of school furniture. In 1895 he invented a steel woven fabric to be used in place of leather or plush for car seats or railroad cars.
Sylvanus Cox and William Fanning from Richmond, Indiana, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk and chair. Patent no. 135089 was issued on January 21, 1873.
This model consists of a wood and iron combination folding seat and desk. The brass desk supports have Gothic arches. The seat has dark and light wood slats with a curved, smooth bench and back support. The desktop is made of wood and features a groove for writing utensils. The cutout for an ink well would have been an option. It is attached to the back of the bench and has a folding mechanism to reduce noise. The brass base supports and legs form two birds with beaks touching. There is a small brass label on the desktop. The Cox and Fanning design was become one of the most attractive desk designs of the nineteenth century.
There were a few men with the name Sylvanus Cox living in Indiana when this model was created so we do not have specific information about the inventor. William W. Fanning was a carpenter who lived in Richmond, Indiana. He was born in November 1843 and died February 20, 1909 at age 65 in Richmond, Indiana.
John Long and Eugene Converse from Oswego, New York, received a U.S. patent for an improved school desk. Patent no. 117090 was issued on July 18, 1871.
This patent features an adjustable tabletop. The desk sits on two shafts that feature groves. The desk can be raised and lowered as it locks into place with the groves. The model is made of unpolished dark wood and brass. The backrest and seat do not join so there is no lower back support. The attached desk folds down and the horseshoe-shaped brass legs are attached to the bottom of the seat. A silver plate on the desk has "John Long and Eugene Converse, Inventors" engraved on it.
In 1874, John Long was recorded as working with furniture, presumably as a carpenter or manufacturer.
In 1866, Eugene Converse was registered as a gunsmith, locksmith, and ornamental fence ironworker.