Walter A. Sheaffer
Encyclopedia
Walter A. Sheaffer was an American
inventor and businessman who developed the first commercially successful lever-filling fountain pen
and founded the W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company
.
Walter Sheaffer was born in Bloomfield, Iowa
. He was the oldest child of Elizabeth and Jacob Royer Sheaffer, who had settled in Bloomfield in 1854 and established a jewelry store. Sheaffer dropped out of school and first started working as a printer's devil, then a grocery boy and in the summer he operated a peanut stand. He next worked at a jewelry store in Centerville, Iowa
and later at a store in Unionville, Missouri
. He returned to Bloomfield in 1888, to become a partner with his father in the family business.
In 1906, Sheaffer purchased a jewelry store in Fort Madison, Iowa
. Inspired by the success of self-filling fountain pens -- notably, Conklins -- Sheaffer turned his attention to inventing a self-filling mechanism of his own. He received his first fountain pen patent in 1908, for a lever-filler, but did not put his design into production until 1912. The new business was incorporated at the end of January of 1913 as the W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company
; its success was rapid, and the jewelry store was soon sold. Within ten years, the company had joined the top rank of American pen manufacturers, and was advertising nationally. Sheaffer served as president of the company from 1913–1938. From 1938 until his death, he served as chairman of the board, while his son Craig Royer Sheaffer served as president.
Sheaffer died in Fort Madison.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventor and businessman who developed the first commercially successful lever-filling fountain pen
Fountain pen
A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...
and founded the W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company
Sheaffer
Sheaffer is a pen company that manufactures writing instruments including ballpoint, fountain and rollerball pens and mechanical pencils. It is famous for its “school” lineup of fountain pens, as well as calligraphy sets....
.
Walter Sheaffer was born in Bloomfield, Iowa
Bloomfield, Iowa
Bloomfield is a city in Davis County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,601 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Davis County.-Geography:Bloomfield is located in the southeastern part of Iowa near the Missouri border....
. He was the oldest child of Elizabeth and Jacob Royer Sheaffer, who had settled in Bloomfield in 1854 and established a jewelry store. Sheaffer dropped out of school and first started working as a printer's devil, then a grocery boy and in the summer he operated a peanut stand. He next worked at a jewelry store in Centerville, Iowa
Centerville, Iowa
Centerville is a city in and the county seat of Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,528 in the 2010 census, a decline from 5,924 in the 2000 census. After the turn of the 20th century Centerville had a booming coal mining industry that attracted many European immigrants...
and later at a store in Unionville, Missouri
Unionville, Missouri
Unionville is a city in Putnam County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,041 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Putnam County.-Geography:Unionville is located at ....
. He returned to Bloomfield in 1888, to become a partner with his father in the family business.
In 1906, Sheaffer purchased a jewelry store in Fort Madison, Iowa
Fort Madison, Iowa
Fort Madison, situated on the Mississippi River, is a city in and one of the county seats of Lee County, Iowa, United States. The other county seat is Keokuk. The population was 10,715 at the 2000 census...
. Inspired by the success of self-filling fountain pens -- notably, Conklins -- Sheaffer turned his attention to inventing a self-filling mechanism of his own. He received his first fountain pen patent in 1908, for a lever-filler, but did not put his design into production until 1912. The new business was incorporated at the end of January of 1913 as the W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company
Sheaffer
Sheaffer is a pen company that manufactures writing instruments including ballpoint, fountain and rollerball pens and mechanical pencils. It is famous for its “school” lineup of fountain pens, as well as calligraphy sets....
; its success was rapid, and the jewelry store was soon sold. Within ten years, the company had joined the top rank of American pen manufacturers, and was advertising nationally. Sheaffer served as president of the company from 1913–1938. From 1938 until his death, he served as chairman of the board, while his son Craig Royer Sheaffer served as president.
Sheaffer died in Fort Madison.
External links
- The Des Moines Register | Famous Iowans: Walter A. Sheaffer
- The New York Times | Walter Sheaffer, Manufacturer, 78, Founder of Company Making Fountain Pen Bearing His Name Dies In Iowa
- PenHero.com (Many photo illustrated reference articles and reviews on modern and vintage Sheaffer pens and large list of pen links in PenBookmarks section.)
- New Evidence for the Early History of the Sheaffer Pen Company: The First Sheaffer Pens