Ruth Benerito

Inventor

Birthday January 12, 1916

Birth Sign Capricorn

Birthplace New Orleans, LA

DEATH DATE Oct 5, 2013 (97)

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About

Most famous for her invention of wrinkle-free cotton fabric, she is remembered for patenting numerous chloride processes for the production of wash-and-wear cotton-based products.

Before Fame

After earning her bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry from Tulane University, she received her Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Chicago and began her lengthy career at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Southern Regional Research Center.

Trivia

Her numerous honors include the American Chemical Society's 1972 Southwest Regional Award; the 2002 Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award; and a 2008 induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Family Life

Born Ruth Mary Rogan, she spent her early years in New Orleans, Louisiana. In the early 1950s, she married Frank Benerito.

Associated With

A century and a half after Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, Benerito resurrected the steadily diminishing cotton industry by creating a process for the production of wash-and-wear cotton fabrics.