Inventor. As a teenager this brilliant but restless young man searched the country seeking his niche. At the age of fourteen he "hoboed" on a train to Virginia where he lied about his age to get a job for a railroad company. At the age of sixteen he got a job on an ocean liner but was fired when it was discovered he was too young. When he was nineteen years old he and his brother went to Panama to get a job building the canal. He is credited with being the first person to use a steam shovel to remove the first dirt on the Pacific side of the new canal. In 1912 he returned to his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee where he and his brothers began successful construction and machinery companies. However they both went bankrupt during the Great Depression. Undaunted he focused on ways to help modernize the construction business. He used his knowledge and experience to develop new designs in the construction arena and at the time of his death held seventy-five different patents. His most popular invention was in the area of waste disposal. In 1935 he invented the Dempster Dumpster. The large metal containers revolutionized the construction business with its design that helped companies store and transport waste in a more economical way. Soon his invention led to the establishment of the Dempster Brothers Manufacturing Company. The "Dempster Dumpster" became popular among military use and became famous worldwide. In 1964 the inventor received the U.S. Navy Public Service Award because of the usefulness of this invention. Today thousands of businesses all around the world have a "dumpster" thanks to his efforts.
Inventor. As a teenager this brilliant but restless young man searched the country seeking his niche. At the age of fourteen he "hoboed" on a train to Virginia where he lied about his age to get a job for a railroad company. At the age of sixteen he got a job on an ocean liner but was fired when it was discovered he was too young. When he was nineteen years old he and his brother went to Panama to get a job building the canal. He is credited with being the first person to use a steam shovel to remove the first dirt on the Pacific side of the new canal. In 1912 he returned to his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee where he and his brothers began successful construction and machinery companies. However they both went bankrupt during the Great Depression. Undaunted he focused on ways to help modernize the construction business. He used his knowledge and experience to develop new designs in the construction arena and at the time of his death held seventy-five different patents. His most popular invention was in the area of waste disposal. In 1935 he invented the Dempster Dumpster. The large metal containers revolutionized the construction business with its design that helped companies store and transport waste in a more economical way. Soon his invention led to the establishment of the Dempster Brothers Manufacturing Company. The "Dempster Dumpster" became popular among military use and became famous worldwide. In 1964 the inventor received the U.S. Navy Public Service Award because of the usefulness of this invention. Today thousands of businesses all around the world have a "dumpster" thanks to his efforts.
Bio by: Bigwoo
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