Mark Twain, Born in Florida, Mo, and Better Known as an Author and Humorist Was Also an Inventor and Patent Holder
When most people think of Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain as he has penned himself in his writings, they think of the famous author and fondly recall reading his well known works Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.
Few realize that Mark Twain, born in Florida, Mo., was also an aspiring inventor and the holder of three U.S. patents. From what little Mark Twain wrote of patents in his fiction, it appears as if Mark Twain believed strongly in the U.S. patent system and its benefits to society.
In his book, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s court, he has the Connecticut Yankee say the following about the patent office:
"…the very first official thing I did in my administration-and it was on the very first day of it too-was to start a patent office; for I knew that a country without a patent office and good patent laws was just a crab and couldn’t travel anyway but sideways and backwards."