First US Patent

On July 31, 1790, Samuel Hopkins of Philadelphia received the first U.S. patent ever issued under the new patent system, signed by President George Washington. The patent, designated as Patent X000001 in the X-patent series, covered an improved method for "making Pot ash and Pearl ash by a new Apparatus and Process." Potash (potassium carbonate) was an important industrial chemical used in making soap, glass, and gunpowder. The patent was reviewed and signed by a board consisting of the Secretary of State (Thomas Jefferson), Secretary of War (Henry Knox), and Attorney General (Edmund Randolph), demonstrating the high importance placed on protecting innovation. This patent system, established by the Patent Act of 1790, became a cornerstone of American innovation and economic development, encouraging inventors by granting them exclusive rights to profit from their creations for 14 years.