Isaac Merrit Singer

Isaac Merrit Singer (1811-1875), American inventor, who developed the first commercially successful sewing machine. His company employed innovative techniques in manufacturing and marketing. Born in Pittstown, New York, Singer began working as a machinist at the age of 12. He became interested in developing a practical sewing machine and obtained a patent for such a device in 1851. A similar machine had been patented by the American inventor Elias Howe in 1846, however, and several other people were developing such machines at about the same time. Howe brought suit against Singer for patent infringement and won, forcing Singer to pay royalties. Singer continued his efforts, and brought together several related patents to create his popular machine. By 1860 he had become the largest manufacturer of sewing machines in the world. Singer had an acute business mind and initiated a number of important merchandising practices, such as installment buying, advertising campaigns, and the provision of service along with sales.