John Wesley Hyatt (November 28, 1837 – May 10, 1920) was an American inventor. He is mainly known for simplifying the production of celluloid, arguably the first industrial plastic. Hyatt, a Perkin Medal recipient, is an inductee into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Hyatt was born in Starkey, New York, and began working as a printer when he was 16. Later, he became an inventor, receiving several hundred patents. While researching a substitute for ivory to produce billiard balls, he experimented with Parkesine, a material first created by Alexander Parkes. The result was a commercially viable way of producing Celluloid which he patented in the USA in 1869. Hyatt formed the Celluloid Manufacturing Company (originally the Albany Dental Plate Company) in 1870.

In parallel, English inventor Daniel Spill developed the same product which he patented in England as "Xylonite", and later pursued Hyatt in a number of costly court cases between 1877 and 1884. The eventual outcome found that the true inventor of celluloid was Alexander Parkes, and that all manufacturing of celluloid could continue, including Hyatt's.

Hyatt's other patented inventions include roller bearings and a multiple-stitch sewing machine.

External links

• Biography on plastiquarian.com

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