Name: Josephine Cochrane
Date of Birth: 03/08/1839
Birth Place: Ohio
Primary Residence: Shelbyville, Illinois
Area(s) of Achievement: Business, Technology
Ethnicity: European-American
Slogan: "If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I'll do it myself."
Objectives: I politely request $40,000 to expand mass production of dishwashers in order to effectively target the home consumer market. This demographic has been left untouched, primarily as the woman “has not learned to think of her time and comfort as worth money. “ However, besides this societal setback, this demographic has great capital potential, as every woman in America washes dishes, and is subject to the usefulness of this labor and time saving device. By mass producing the dishwasher, we can drive down the price, as the potential for selling more units increases. The requested money will be used to hire more manpower in manufacturing the device, as well as buying enough materials for mass production.
Background: Although I am the daughter of a civil engineer and granddaughter of the inventor of a steam-powered boat, I have lived quite the conventional life. After my mother died I went to go live with my father, John Garis, in Ohio. He worked as a supervisor in mills and as a hydraulic engineer, while I attended a private high school. When it burned down however, I went to go live with my aunt in Shelbyville, Illinois.
I married my husband William Cochran when I was 19. William was in the dry goods business, and was constantly trying to invest in available opportunities. With my husband, we led a very social life, throwing many famous parties with our heirloom china. When my servants broke one of these masterpieces, I was driven to invent the dishwasher. I am a rich woman who holds many dinner parties, and thus use many dishes. My servants are not capable of washing these dishes without breaking any of the precious china, so I set out to wash them myself. However, as a respectable, social woman in my town, I do not have the time to attend to trivial matters such as washing dishes. I invented the dishwasher to wash the dishes in a timely manner without chipping any of the dishes like my servants do.
Achievements: My success with the dishwasher shows with the many sales I have secured at premier hotel and restaurant locations in central Chicago. The luxurious Sherman House has graciously given an $800 dollar award in
