| William Lowell Sr. | |
|---|---|
 From left to right are: Ernest Lowell, William Lowell Sr., and William Lowell Jr. | |
| Born | 1863 Hoboken, New Jersey, US |
| Died | June 24, 1954(1954-06-24) (aged 91) East Orange, New Jersey, US |
| Occupation | Dentist |
| Children | William Lowell Jr., Ernest Lowell, Elisabeth Lowell, Isabel Lowell Niebling (1892-1981), and Carol Lowell Favre (1903-1987) |
William Lowell Sr. (1863 – June 24, 1954) was a dentist and an inventor of a wooden golf tee.
Biography
William Lowell was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, and lived in Maplewood, New Jersey, and had a son, William Lowell Jr. (1897–1976). He first made 5,000 tees, that were stained green, but he soon changed to red, to make them more distinctive and named them "Reddy Tees". In 1922 Walter Hagen and Joe Kirkwood Sr. used his tees during their exhibitions. The Reddy Tee was patented on May 13, 1925, but in 1922 he signed a deal with the A.G. Spalding Company, for 24 dozen. By 1925 he was selling $100,000 worth of tees and they were being made of celluloid. By 1926 copycat versions were on the market, and he spent much of his time and money fighting patent infringement.
He died at Orange Memorial Hospital in East Orange, New Jersey, on June 24, 1954, at the age of 91.
Patents
- U.S. patent 1,670,627 golf tee filed December 7, 1925
- U.S. patent 1,650,141 golf tee filed August 26, 1925
- U.S. patent 1,569,765 golf putter filed November 13, 1925
See also
- George Franklin Grant, another golf tee inventor
References
- McDaniel, Pete (2000). "Birth of the tee: The story behind the man who gave the ball the perfect setup - George Franklin Grant, inventor". Golf Digest. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- "William Lowell Jr., Is Dead; An Industrial Packager, 78". The New York Times. May 14, 1976. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- "Gold Tee Designer Dead. Dr. William Lowell of Jersey Patented Reddy Device". The New York Times. June 25, 1954. Retrieved 2010-11-24.