Jack Cover
American inventor of the Taser (1920–2009)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Higson Cover Jr. (April 6, 1920 – February 7, 2009) was an American aerospace scientist who invented the taser stun gun.[1]
April 6, 1920
John Higson Cover Jr. | |
|---|---|
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| Born | John Higson Cover April 6, 1920 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | February 7, 2009 (aged 88) |
| Other names | Jack Cover |
| Known for | Invention of taser |
| Spouse | Ginny |
| Children | 5 |
Biography
Jack Cover was born in New York City on April 6, 1920, and grew up in Chicago.[1] His father was a professor of economics. His mother earned a mathematics master's degree at the University of Chicago.[2] Cover earned a bachelor's degree and a doctorate in nuclear physics at the same university,[1] studying under Enrico Fermi.[3] During World War II, he was an Army Air Force test pilot. He later worked at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. He was a scientist at North American Aviation from 1952 until 1964 and also worked for NASA[3] (Apollo program), IBM and Hughes Aircraft.[1]
In 1970, he formed Taser Systems, Inc., named for a Tom Swift novel about the Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle. Because the Taser used gunpowder to launch the darts, the federal government considered it a firearm, a classification that ruled out a civilian market and also discouraged police and military sales.[1]
Private life
Cover was married three times; the first two ended in divorce. His last marriage was to Ginny. He had five children, two sons and three daughters.[2] He had Alzheimer's disease, and died of pneumonia on February 7, 2009, at the Golden West Retirement Home in Mission Viejo, California.[1][2][4]
Patents
- U.S. patent 3,803,463 July 10, 1972; Weapon for Immobilization and Capture