David T. Kenney
David T. Kenney (April 3, 1866 – May 26?, 1922) was an
Early life
Born to Irish immigrants, Kenney was apprenticed at age 15 to a plumber. In 1891 he began his own plumbing business in Plainfield, New Jersey and gained patents for flush toilets. From 1896 to his death he maintained offices in New York City. His businesses operated under the names Kenney Manufacturing Company and later Vacuum Cleaner Company in New York and Jersey Vacuum Cleaner Company in Newark. Kenney's first vacuum cleaner installation was in the building of Henry Clay Frick in Pittsburgh in 1902. Its stationary 4,000 lb. steam engine powered pipes and hoses reaching into all parts of the building. In 1906 his company claimed to have installed electric vacuum cleaning systems in the White House, the Times building, and elsewhere.
Career
Kenney's most significant patent was granted in March 1907. He had filed the application in 1901, when the notion of an electrically powered cleaner was only beginning to be seen as a possibility. A
Legacy
With the wealth derived from his patents, Kenney became a benefactor of Catholic institutions, particularly
Sources
- Hoover Historical Center, 1875 East Maple Street, North Canton, OH 44720-3331
- Lifshey, Earl. The Housewares Story: A History of the American Housewares Industry. Chicago: National Housewares Manufacturers Association, 1973
- New York Times, 12/8/42 (Thomas Ewing obituary)
- Plainfield (NJ) Courier-News, 6/5/22 (Kenney obituary)
- Smiley, F.T. History of Plainfield and North Plainfield. Plainfield, NJ: The Plainfield Courier-News, 1901
- Strasser, Susan. Never Done: A History of American Housework. New York: Pantheon,1982. p. 79
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Report on the House Furnishings Industry. 1925