Here is Nancy Adams' response to Grace Baysinger's question:
Grace:
The book, "The Patent Office Pony: A History of the Early Patent Office
", written by Kenneth W. Dobyns, contains information about this quote.
It was attributed to the first Commissioner of Patents, Henry
Ellsworth. The actual sentence that he wrote in the 1843 Annual Report
of the Patent Office was, "The advancement of the arts, from year to
year, taxes our credulity, and seems to presage the arrival of that
period when human improvement must end." This has evolved through the
years to, "Everything that can be invented has been invented", although
he never actually said that. Dobyns also states that Richard Nixon, in
his 1988 book, "Victory without War", attributed the erroneous
statement to Commissioner Charles H. Duell, who also never said it.
Sincerely,
Nancy Adams
Grace: In my last message I forgot to add that the actual text of the
correct quote is found on page 5 of the 1843 "Annual Report of
Commissioner of Patents". The report is House of Representatives
Document No. 177, from the 28th Congress of the U.S., 1st Session.
--Nancy Adams
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Nancy E. Adams, M.L.I.S.
Science and Engineering Center, Fogler Library
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469
207-581-1678 FAX 207-581-1653 e-mail:
nancy.adams@umit.maine.edu