Margaret A. Wilcox

Margaret A. Wilcox was an engineer and inventor known for developing a method for heating cars.

Background Information

Margaret A. Wilcox (born in 1838) in Chicago, IL, is an engineer best known for her work in developing the first car heater for motor vehicles (Godin, 2021).

Early Life

It is important to understand that at the time that Margaret A. Wilcox was born women were rarely able to go to college and receive a degree in mechanical engineering (Blackstock, 2022). Growing up in Chicago, IL, Wilcox was always interested in experimenting with new creations to help make life easier for herself and other people (Godin, 2021).

Succesful Innovation

In her twenties, Wilcox worked on designing a solution to heat up the inside of railway cars, as she noted how most people railway operators during the winter times were all freezing (Margeit, 2021). In order to achieve this, Wilcox wanted to channel the heat produced by the engine into the cabin to ensure that it stays warm (Margeit, 2021). Not only was this innovation able to make operations during the winter more comfortable for railway workers, but Wilcox also found a solution to keep the windows of the moving vehicles become fogging up and misty (Godin, 2021). However, when Wilcox introduced her exciting innovation to the engineering world, most people at the time were not in love with the invention given how rudimentary the innovation was (Blackstock, 2022). Most motor vehicle users found that the innovation was a concern of safety, based on how little regulation there was on the temperature, which led to longer car rides having the inside of the car becomes warmer and warmer (Godin, 2021). As a result, passengers either froze in their operation or were burning inside their vehicles.

Influence on Present Day Vehicles

Although people saw Wilcox's innovation as dangerous and rudimentary, her creation of a heating system inside motor vehicles would become the basis for present-day car heaters (Godin, 2021). Engineers in 1917 followed Wilcox's designs for the heating system in early automobiles, and eventually, in 1929 the design was perfected and was used by Ford Motor Co (Godin, 2021). While today's systems of internal heating are more complex compared to the initial designs chartered by Margaret A. Wilcox, it was her initial design that would become the foundation of how internal vehicle systems would be created and designed.

Patent Challenges

While Margaret A. Wilcox in the present day is recognized for her influential design of current day vehicle heating systems, at the time of her successful innovation women were not allowed to patent their inventions under their respective names (kier_bushmarketing, 2020). Before 1893, Wilcox in her twenties introduced a combined washing machine for both dishes and clothing but was unable to patent the invention as her own because of an existing law restricting women from patenting their own innovations (Godin, 2021). As a result, she patented the innovation under her husband's name. Fortunately, when Wilcox introduced the internal vehicle heating system she was able to patent the innovation under her name in 1893, "for certain new and useful improvements in Car-Heaters", and received full credit for inventing the car heater (Godin, 2021).

References

Blackstock, E. (2022, March 4). Meet Margaret Wilcox, The Woman Who Invented The Car Heater. Jalopnik. https://jalopnik.com/meet-margaret-wilcox-the-woman-who-invented-the-car-he-1846657270

Godin, B. (2021, April 30). Women of Interest—Margaret Wilcox. The Voice. https://www.voicemagazine.org/2021/04/30/women-of-interest-margaret-wilcox/

kier_bushmarketing. (2020, March 26). Featured Innovator: Margaret A. Wilcox. Cedric Millar. https://cedricmillar.com/featured-innovator-margaret-a-wilcox/#:%7E:text=to%20Supply%20Chain-,Margaret%20A.,goods%20all%20over%20the%20world.

Margeit, R. (2021, August 12). Margaret A. Wilcox, keeping you warm and toasty in your car since 1893. Drive. https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/margaret-a-wilcox-keeping-you-warm-and-toasty-in-your-car-since-1893/

Sofia Technologies, S. (2021, December 13). WOMEN’S FOOTPRINT IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY -. Sofia Technologies. https://sofia-technologies.com/2020/03/09/womens-footprint-in-the-automotive-industry/#:%7E:text=Margaret%20Wilcox%20inventer%20of%20the%20First%20car%20heater%2C%201893&text=Wilcox%20is%20a%20mechanical%20engineer,heater%20on%20Nov%2028%2C%201893