Copeman once told his grandson that he could walk into any store and find one of his inventions.Īlthough he is not well known today, Copeman developed many inventions and ideas that benefited many people. During his time living in Flint at 1416 Calumet Street off East Court Street, he is credited with inventing a self-extinguishing cigarette and an early form of the microwave oven, as well as patented dozens of other ideas. Like many great inventors, Copeman didn’t limit the scope of his imagination. The catchphrase was, “Rig your rear with Copeman’s gear.” When the hunter wanted to sit, he would simply bend and the seat automatically folded out. Copeman wanted to make game hunting more comfortable, so he made a chair that attached to a hunter’s backside. He designed and patented a rubber tray, and sales from that invention earned Copeman $500,000.īut not all of his inventions were successful. One day, while collecting sap for maple syrup in the woods, he noticed that frozen slush flaked off his rubber boots easily. His biggest money-maker, however, was the rubber ice cube tray. In a few days, a deal was made in which Westinghouse absorbed the Copeman Electric Stove Company. He was president of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. “We have a good sales organization and no likely cooking products,” the inquiring man replied. “Well, we’ve got a good product, but darned poor sales organization – that’s me,” Copeman said. “And how are you doing with your product, young man?” the gentleman asked. An elderly gentleman stopped and expressed interest in Copeman’s stove. In a 1954 interview in Popular Mechanics, it was said that in 1918, Copeman was alone in a booth at a Philadelphia convention where various manufacturers were demonstrating their products before potential distributors. Copeman’s toaster turned the bread without the user having to touch it. Before that, electric toasters only toasted bread on one side and then it was flipped by hand to toast the other side. The company also produced a toaster that toasted bread on both sides. He and 22 stockholders raised $500,000 to form the Copeman Electric Stove Company. Dallas Dort about the idea of an electric stove, Dort grabbed a telephone on the spot to recruit stockholders. Round, removable hot plates were plugged into outlets located on the top and inside the small ovens. One of his most well known inventions was the first heat-regulated electric stove, called a “fireless cooker.” The first electric stoves produced by the company had the appearance of an old-fashioned, heavily insulated, oak-clad icebox. In 1912, the Copeman Electric Stove Company was formed in Flint, in what became known as the Copeman Building. Copeman’s granddaughter is also a household name: singer, Linda Ronstadt.Īfter a few years, the couple returned to Flint and Copeman began inventing in earnest. This eliminated the need to turn it by hand, giving him freedom to swim or fish.Ĭopeman worked at various jobs with electric companies and followed his childhood sweetheart, Hazel Berger, to Washington state, where they married in 1904 and had three children Lloyd Berger Copeman (1907-1968), Ruth Mary Copeman Ronstadt (1914-1982), and Elizabeth Jane Copeman Gerlach (1918-1998). According to Michigan History Magazine, when he was just ten years old, Copeman invented a clock-like instrument that turned his father’s grindstone automatically. His interest in inventing things became evident when he was very young. He later became a well-known entrepreneur. He attended a one-room school and Michigan Agricultural College, which is now Michigan State University. Did you know that the rubber ice cube tray, electric stove and automatic electric toaster were invented right here in Flint? Often referred to as the “forgotten inventor” Lloyd Groff Copeman was born and raised just east of Flint in Farmers Creek in Lapeer County.
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