Charles Rood Keeran (April 16, 1883 - June 9, 1948) was an Illinois inventor and businessman.
Biography
He was born on April 16, 1883, on a farm near
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...
. Having an inventive father, William Lee Keeran, C.R. Keeran grew up with a creative spirit. After achieving a master's degree in engineering, he soon began patenting his ideas (circa 1906) which continued throughout his lifetime:
Keeran's 2-piece vacuum seal for Mason jars, which became the standard for home-canning, was immediately popular. However, he sold off his company, White Crown Fruit Jar, in order to finance his favorite invention: the Eversharp
mechanical pencil
A mechanical pencil or clutch pencil is a pencil with a replaceable and mechanically extendable solid pigment core called a "lead" . The pencil lead, lead, often made of graphite, is not bonded to the outer casing, and the user can mechanically e ...
. Around 1914, Keeran invented the basic mechanism for the
Eversharp, thought up the "Eversharp" trademark (inspired by the Winchester Rifle logo), and set up a company to make and sell Eversharp pencils. He relocated to
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...
, and entered into a business alliance with the
Wahl Adding Machine Company in Chicago. Wahl officers obtained a majority share in the
Eversharp Pencil Company and, in 1917, forced Keeran out of the company.
In 1919, Keeran registered the "
Autopoint" trademark. In 1921, Keeran joined three businessmen in the Realite Pencil Company. Keeran brought the Autopoint name with him. Within a few years the company was renamed, the
Autopoint Company
The Autopoint Company was a manufacturer of pencils and desk top accessories in Chicago for about 50 years from the 1920s to around 1970.
History
Autopoint was founded by Frank C. Deli, Michael M. Kaufmann, and John P. Lynn around 1920. Th ...
.
Keeran felt that his invention and suggestions during his association with Wahl were the basis of their prosperity. For years, he fought a battle to get just compensation from the Wahl Company. He got no satisfaction.
He died on June 9, 1948, in
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
.
Patents
* New and useful Improvements in Detachable Spouts
* New and useful Improvements in Switch and Detector-Bar Throwing Mechanism
* Certain New and useful Improvements in Weapons
* Certain New and useful Improvements in Receptacle-Closures and #1130611, #1167306, #1180929, #1207560, and #1226532
* New and useful Improvements in Lead-Pencils and #1151016, and #1153115
Further reading
* Frary, C.A. "What We Have Learned Marketing Eversharp." Printers' Ink. 116(6):3+. August 11, 1921.
External links
Charles Keeran, a Mechanical Pencil Pioneer- Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL newspaper)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keeran, Charles R.
1883 births
1948 deaths
20th-century American inventors