William Spencer's 1876 School Desk Hinge Patent Model

William F. Spencer from Richmond, Indiana, received a U.S. patent for an improved school seat hinge. Patent model no. 179877 was issued on July 18, 1876.

This is a wooden hinge model and lever that is painted black. A metal screw holds the hinge together. This hinge is an improvement to the pivot bolt from Patent no. 176701, discussed in CL*65.0397. The improvement secured the seat in its desired place. The device had applications for other furniture.

William Fouke Spencer (1833-1920) was the son of Quakers Mary Custard and Jesse Spencer. He became a lawyer and a merchant, marrying Christina Bradley of Philadelphia. He moved west to Ohio and eventually to Indiana and the family claims he assisted with the Underground Railroad during the Civil War. He and his wife had 6 children. As an entrepreneur, he developed an interest in the expanding school supply industry and developed improvements in desk design. In 1875 he filed the first of his patents on improvements on combination school seat and desks. His patents were: 176,701, issued April 25, 1876; 179,877, issued July 18, 1876; and 316,495 on June 23, 1884 for an opera chair By 1880, he was listing his profession as a manufacturer of school furniture, having joined the firm originated by John P. Allen and George H. Grant. It became Haynes, Spencer & Company. When it was destroyed in a fire in 1892, he founded the Richmond School Furniture Company. He also founded the American Lawnmower Company in 1895. Both companies moved to Muncie, Indiana in 1902.

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