James Murray Spangler

James Murray Spangler. November 20, 1848 - January 22, 1915. , James Murray Spangler moved his family to Canton in the early 1880's. He mostly worked as a salesman to support his family, but his true interest was in inventing., In the late 1890's, Spangler, who suffered with asthma, took a janitorial job at Zollinger Department Store which was located in this corner building. The dusty consequences of his job made his condition worse, and prompted him to find a solution. Using a sewing machine motor, ceiling fan blades, a wooden soap box for the body, and a pillow case for the bog. Spangler created the first portable electric suction sweeper., After many modifications, Spangler was granted a U.S. patent in 1908, and formed the Electric Suction Sweeper Co. One of his first sales was to his cousin, Susan Hoover, who helped to convince her husband, William "Boss” Hoover that Spangler's sweeper was a worthy invention., Spangler worked tirelessly to promote and sell his electric sweeper, but he lacked the funding to mass produce it. So, he sold his Electric Suction Sweeper Co. to William "Boss” Hoover, with the agreement that Spangler, himself, remain as production supervisor, receiving a yearly salary of $1500 plus royalties until the patent expired. Hoover eventually renamed the company the "Hoover Company in 1922., Spangler remained a Canton resident until his death in 1915, and his house at 801 12th Street N.W. still stands today. For his accomplishments, Spangler was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006. . This historical marker is in Canton in Stark County Ohio