Elmer Clinton Adolph Berger (12 August 1891 – 15 July 1952) was an inventor born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, whic ...

who is credited with the invention of the automotive

rear-view mirror A rear-view mirror (or rearview mirror) is a flat mirror in automobiles and other vehicles, designed to allow the driver to see rearward through the vehicle's rear window (rear windshield). In cars, the rear-view mirror is usually affixed to ...

in the early 1900s. Although racing enthusiast

Ray Harroun Ray Harroun (January 12, 1879 – January 19, 1968) was an American racecar driver and pioneering constructor most famous for winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. He is the inventer of the open-wheel car. Biography He was born on Janua ...

experimented with one as early as 1911 while driving in the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of India ...

, it was Elmer Berger who obtained the first

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling disclo ...

in 1921. Through his Berger and Company he manufactured the rear-view mirror for automobile use. He named his device the "COP-SPOTTER."

Thoroughbred racing

In the 1930s and 40s, Elmer Berger owned a prominent

Thoroughbred racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

stable in California. One of his colts, Boot and Spur, trained by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee

William Molter William Molter (June 2, 1910 – April 2, 1960) was an American National Champion and Hall of Fame horse trainer in the sport of Thoroughbred racing. A native of Fredericksburg, Texas, Molter began his career in horse racing as a jockey at race ...

, ran in the 1942 Kentucky Derby. Another stakes horse, Stitch Again, ran second in the 1947

Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for old ...

. Elmer Berger died in Los Angeles in 1952 and was interred in the Cathedral Mausoleum #1405 at

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Ang ...

References

*
"The Future of Death"
from the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' 1891 births 1952 deaths 20th-century American engineers 20th-century American inventors American racehorse owners and breeders Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery People from St. Louis {{US-inventor-stub