Kate Duval Hughes

Kate Duval Hughes (born June 15, 1837) was an American author and inventor.

Kate Duval Hughes, circa mid-late 1800s

Early life and family

Hughes was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 15, 1837. [1] Her father, French-born Peter Stephen Duval, owned a large lithographic firm in Philadelphia. Her brother was Stephen C. Duval. [2]

Hughes married, but the marriage ended in divorce. At the same, the family fortune was lost. She then spent several years Europe before moving Washington, D. C. She took a job with a federal agency. [1] She never remarried, instead concentrated on her career and her writing.

Career
Kate Duval Hughes, US 376654 A

Hughes invented two Combined Window Sash Fasteners and Holders, receiving patents on both of them. Using her inventions, a home owner could lower and raise the upper and lower sashes of their windows to a limited extent, increasing home security. [1] [3] [4]

In 1890 Hughes discovered how to extract the essential oil of frankincense. She incorporated this oil into an ointment for skin diseases, which was used in many hospitals. [1] [4]

Writings

Huges wrote four books for younger readers: Little Pearls (New York, 1876), The Mysterious Castle (Baltimore, 1878), The Fair Maid of Connaught (New York, 1889) and Legends and Tales of the Sierras (1888)

A devout Roman Catholic, Hughes' books had religious themes. Cardinal James Gibbons praised her works.[1][5]


References
  1. Willard, Frances Elizabeth, 1839-1898; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice, 1820-1905 (1893). A woman of the century; fourteen hundred-seventy biographical sketches accompanied by portraits of leading American women in all walks of life. Buffalo, N.Y., Moulton. pp. 400–401. Retrieved 8 August 2017.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. "Philadelphia Lithographers: Peter S. Duval (1804 or 5-1886)". Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  3. "US 376654 A". Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  4. Stanley, Autumn (1995). Mothers and Daughters of Invention: Notes for a Revised History of Technology. Rutgers University Press. p. 306. ISBN 9780813521978. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  5. "Saturday, November 10, 1888". Evening Star. 1888. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
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