Stuart Warren Cramer (March 31, 1868 – July 2, 1940) was an American engineer, inventor, and contractor, who gained prominence after designing and building near 150

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven ...

s in the southern United States. He was the founder of Cramerton, North Carolina and became involved in the nascent

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

industry, as well as being a founding partner in Duke Power.

Biography

He was born in

Thomasville, North Carolina Thomasville is a city in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 27,183 at the 2020 census. The city was once notable for its furniture industry, as were its neighbors High Point, North Carolina, High Point and Lexington ...

to Mary Jane Thomas Cramer and John Thomas, a furniture manufacturer. He graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

in 1888 after studying naval engineering. Cramer chose to resign from the Navy to study in the School of Mines at Columbia University in 1888–1889. He found employment with the U.S. Mint in Charlotte, where he worked for four years. After that he worked for Daniel A. Tompkins, an engineer and industrialist, for two years, and then went into business for himself designing and equipping cotton mills in the South. In a May 1906 speech in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

, before the American Cotton Manufacturers Association, Cramer coined the term

. Cramer's connection to air conditioning originated from his work in the textile industry. Over the course of his career he acquired more than 60 patents for the humidity control and ventilating equipment he developed for cotton mills across the South. In the 1920a Cramer conceived of a new textile weave for U.S. military uniforms after consultation with his former Naval Academy classmate, U. S. Secretary of the Navy Curtis Wilbur, and his sons. As a result, "Cramerton Army Cloth" was patented and first produced in 1929. Cramer was a founding member of the American Cotton Manufacturers Association and the National Council of American Cotton Textile Manufacturers. He died in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

on 4 July 1940, at the age of 72, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery. His great-grandson is actor

Grant Cramer Grant Cramer (born November 10, 1961) is an American actor and producer who has starred in films and on television. He is the son of actress Terry Moore and Stuart Warren Cramer III, and a great-grandson of engineer and inventor Stuart W. Crame ...

Recognition and legacy

Stuart W. Cramer High School in Cramerton, North Carolina which includes Cramerton in its attendance district, was named for him. Several of his textile works are listed on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Works include: * Highland Park Manufacturing Company Mill No. 3, 2901 N. Davidson St.,

(Cramer, Stuart Warren), NRHP-listed *

Mayworth School The Mayworth School, also known as Cramerton School, is a historic school complex located at 236 Eighth Ave. in Cramerton, Gaston County, North Carolina. It was designed by architect Stuart W. Cramer and built in 1921 in the Classical Revival ...

, 236 Eighth Ave., Cramerton, North Carolina (Cramer, Stuart), NRHP-listed *One or more works in

North Charlotte Historic District The North Charlotte Historic District is a national historic district located in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The listing included 282 contributing buildings and four contributing structures. It includes work designed by ...

, roughly bounded by the Southern Railroad, Herrin St., Spencer St., and Charles Ave.,

(Cramer, Stuart), NRHP-listed

References

External links

''Textile History''
Cramer, Stuart W. (1868-1940)
''The North Carolina State University Libraries'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Cramer, Stuart W. 1868 births 1940 deaths American engineers Architects from North Carolina People from Gaston County, North Carolina

Biography

Recognition and legacy

References

Further reading

External links