Draft:James T. Newton
American lawyer and Patent Office official
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James T. Newton (July 17, 1862 – March 14, 1935) was an American educator, lawyer, and government official who served as the United States Commissioner of Patents from August 27, 1917, to July 19, 1920.[1][2][3] A career Patent Office official, Newton entered the office in 1891 and held a series of examining, legal, and administrative posts before becoming commissioner during World War I.[1]
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James T. Newton | |
|---|---|
| United States Commissioner of Patents | |
| In office August 27, 1917 – July 19, 1920 | |
| President | Woodrow Wilson |
| Preceded by | Thomas Ewing |
| Succeeded by | Robert Frederick Whitehead |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 17, 1862 Morgan County, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | March 14, 1935 (aged 72) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education | University of Georgia |
Early life and education
Newton was born on a plantation in Morgan County, Georgia, on July 17, 1862.[1] He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Georgia at the age of 19. Before entering federal service, he worked for five years as the principal of a school in Georgia.[1]
Patent Office career
Newton joined the United States Patent Office on March 10, 1891, as a fourth assistant examiner.[1] He rose through the office over the following decades, serving as law clerk, chief clerk, primary examiner, assistant commissioner, first assistant commissioner, and examiner-in-chief before being appointed commissioner of patents.[1]
Commissioner of Patents
Newton became commissioner of patents on August 27, 1917, during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson.[1] His term coincided with the wartime dislocation caused by World War I. According to the USPTO's republished Patent Office Society biography, Patent Office employees were leaving in large numbers for military service or better-paid work in war-related federal agencies, and civil-service registers had been exhausted.[1]
The war also created legal and administrative complications for the Patent Office. Communication with enemy countries was cut off, and patents and applications associated with enemy nationals were seized by the Alien Property Custodian, requiring the recording of thousands of transfers.[1] Patent applications, which had declined during the war, increased sharply in the spring of 1919 to levels greater than those seen before the war, placing additional pressure on an office already short of personnel and facilities.[1]
Newton was credited in the Patent Office Society biography with helping stabilize the administration of the office despite these conditions. The same account noted that he worked to speed classification work and issued a rule requiring review of advertising matter circulated by registered patent attorneys, a measure described as curbing an entrenched abuse.[1]
Newton resigned as commissioner on July 19, 1920.[1] President Wilson wrote a personal letter expressing regret at losing Newton's "loyal, efficient, and intelligent service".[1]
Later career and death
After leaving the Patent Office, Newton became affiliated with Marks & Clerk, a British firm specializing in foreign patent work.[1] He died while at work in his office in the National Press Building in Washington, D.C., on March 14, 1935, at the age of 73.[1]
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