JAMES MURRAY SPANGLER

Nov. 20, 1848 - Jan. 22, 1915

James Murray Spangler was one of ten children born to Mr. & Mrs. William Spangler on Nov. 20, 1848. The Spangler family was originally from Pennsylvania and settled in Stark County.

James Murray Spangler and Elista (Lettie) Amanda Holtz were married on

May 21, 1874. They had three children, Clarence, Francis and Jennie.

In 1880 he moved to Akron and was in business with his brother selling gent's furnishings.

He also worked for the Aultman Company as a salesman. In 1887 he was granted a patent on a grain harvester.

He invented a combined hay rake and tedder which was patented in 1895. He formed a company for their sale which was unsuccessful and short-lived.

In 1897 he was granted a patent for a velocipede wagon and sold his invention to a company in Springfield, Ohio. The bicycle became quite popular at the time and interfered with the sale of the wagon.

He later worked as a sweeper at the Zollinger Dept. Store located in the Folwell Bldg. located on the northwest corner of the public square in Canton, Ohio. (The top floor was occupied – in 1907 - by the Elks Club and the remaining floors occupied by the Wm. R. Zollinger Dept. Store.) Sweeping the dust and dirt aggravated Spangler's asthmatic condition. While watching a rotary street sweeper in operation, Spangler got the idea to mount the motor from a sewing machine onto a carpet sweeper and cut a hole in the back of the sweeper to attach fan blades which would blow dirt out of the rear of the cleaner into an attached dirt bag (a pillow case he borrowed from his wife). He attached a leather belt from the motor shaft to the wood cylinder brush roll and a broom stick supplied the handle. In his next attempt he used a wooden soap box as the main body. He used his invention successfully in cleaning the Folwell Bldg.

Ray Harned, nephew and financial representative of F.G. and W.H. Folwell, formed partnership with Spangler in the fall of 1907. The Folwells had financed Zollingers and were financing Spangler who had filed an application for a patent in September 1907. The new business venture was called, "The Electric Suction Sweeper Company."

After his patent was granted in June 1908, Spangler realized he needed additional financial assistance to market his invention further and met with William "Boss" Hoover concerning his situation. On August 8, 1908, The Electric Suction Sweeper Company was reorganized with “Boss” Hoover as president and treasurer, his son, H.W. was secretary and general manager (H.W. was in charge of sales and advertising.). Spangler was superintendent and received royalties in addition to his salary.

Spangler's wife and daughter (Jennie Spangler Painter) made all the bags for the sweepers until 1914 when the bag making was taken to New Berlin.

Clarence, Spangler's son, worked about a year for The Electric Suction Sweeper Co. in New Berlin. He became very ill and died in Dec. 1911.

Spangler was planning the first vacation of his life, a trip to Florida. He died the night before he was to leave. It was Jan. 22, 1915. He was 66 years old.

Spangler's family continued to receive royalties until his patent expired June 2, 1925.

Ann Haines

Coordinator, HHC Operations

Jan. 1998