Gladstone Adams
{{Short description|American photographer (1880–1966)}}{{Infobox person
| name = Gladstone Adams
| birth_date = May 16, 1880
| birth_place = Newcastle upon Tyne, England
| death_date = July 26, 1966
| occupation = photographer, inventor, executive
| years_active = 1908-1966
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
Captain Gladstone Adams (16 May 1880 – 26 July 1966) was a professional photographer, inventor and chairman of Whitley Bay Urban District Council, and is one of several people claimed to have invented the windscreen wiper (known in the United States as the windshield wiper).
Early life and career
He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England{{Cite web|url=https://openplaques.org/plaques/43428|title = Gladstone Adams black plaque}} and attended Gosforth Academy. Adams served an apprenticeship in Tynemouth with photographer William Auty. He opened his own studio in 1904.{{Cite web |url=http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/work-of-celebrated-snapper-auctioned-4502652 |title=Work of celebrated snapper auctioned - the Journal |access-date=15 November 2014 |archive-date=29 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129023535/http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/work-of-celebrated-snapper-auctioned-4502652 |url-status=dead }}
Windscreen wiper
In April 1908, Adams drove to Crystal Palace Park in a 1904 Darracq-Charron motorcar to see Newcastle United play against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup final. It was such a novelty to see a car in those days that it was put into a car showroom window while he was there, because so many people wanted to see it. On the way back from the cup final, snow kept getting on the windscreen and Gladstone had to keep getting out of the car to clear it. This experience led to his invention of a windscreen wiper. In April 1911, Gladstone patented his design for a windscreen wiper with Sloan & Lloyd Barnes, patent agents of Liverpool. Gladstone's version of the windscreen wiper was never manufactured, however. His original prototype can be seen in Newcastle's Discovery Museum.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/articles/2008/04/08/north_east_wipers_s13_w7_feature.shtml |title=Inside Out – North East – Windscreen Wipers |publisher=BBC |date=11 April 2008 |accessdate=2021-05-26}}
Military career
In World War I, Adams served in the Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the RAF, as a photograph reconnaissance officer. One of his duties was to prove the death and then arrange the burial of Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the 'Red Baron', after he had been shot down and killed.[http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/hes.nsf/a/accelhersnippets?opendocument Heritage Snippets: important bitesize bits of Newcastle's heritage] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620013652/http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/hes.nsf/a/accelhersnippets?opendocument |date=20 June 2006 }} When World War II broke out, Adams was sixty years of age, too old for active service. However, he joined the Whitley Bay Air Training Corps, and a trophy given by him to the cadets is still awarded each year and bears his name, the Gladstone Adams Cup.
Photography business
Gladstone was a professional photographer and he owned two studios, one in Barras Bridge in Newcastle and the other at 18 Station Road, Whitley Bay, which is still standing and is now a visualisation studio called PB Imaging.{{Cite web|url=https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-east/pb-imaging-moves-to-former-studio-of-legendary-photographer|title = PB Imaging moves to former studio of legendary photographer}} He was the first official photographer of Newcastle United.{{Cite web |url=https://www.newsguardian.co.uk/news/victims-all-walks-life-424687 |title=Victims from all walks of life | News Guardian |access-date=7 August 2021 |archive-date=7 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807133107/https://www.newsguardian.co.uk/news/victims-all-walks-life-424687 |url-status=dead }}
Chairman of Whitley Bay Urban District Council
As well as running a business, Adams was also a local Councillor, becoming Chairman of Whitley Bay Urban District Council. One of his official duties at that time was to attend the Duke of Northumberland's wedding in St. Margaret's, Westminster.
Other inventions
Gladstone and his brother also invented the sliding rowing seat and the trafficator, the forerunner of the indicator.{{cite web |url= https://heatonhistorygroup.org/2019/10/01/gladstone-adams-inspired-drive/ |title= Gladstone Adams’ Inspired Drive |last= Andrews |first= Arthur |date= 1 October 2019 |website= Heaton History Group |publisher= |access-date= 29 January 2023 |quote=}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060620013652/http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/hes.nsf/a/accelhersnippets?opendocument Newcastle Government Bio]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060218075405/http://pages.britishlibrary.net/alan.myers/fame.html British Library Bio]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Gladstone}}
Category:British Army personnel of World War I
Category:20th-century British inventors
Category:Businesspeople from Newcastle upon Tyne