Today in Wheeling History: December 8--George W. Redeker, Wheeling plumbing contractor and inventor, filed for a patent for his "Flushing Apparatus for Water Pipes" (1910).
George W. Redeker was born in Wheeling on September 13, 1887, to John A. and Rose Kinney Redeker. He became a prominent Catholic layperson, successful business person, and inventor who made significant contributions to Wheeling's plumbing industry. In 1904, at just seventeen years old, Redeker founded the Redeker Company, a plumbing and heating contracting business that served the Wheeling community for decades. Redeker demonstrated both business acumen and technical innovation when he filed for United States Patent No. 1,016,521 on December 8, 1910, for his invention of a "Flushing Apparatus for Water Pipes." The patent was granted on February 6, 1912. This device was designed to clear sediment and foreign matter from service pipes, demonstrating his commitment to improving plumbing technology. Redeker was deeply involved in Catholic affairs, serving as a member and past Grand Knight of Columbia Council, Knights of Columbus, and holding leadership positions in St. Alphonsus Church's Holy Name Society. He was also past president of the West Virginia Plumbers Association. Redeker resided at 2207 Chapline Street in Centre Wheeling. He married Emma W. Tighe, who predeceased him in February 1971. George W. Redeker died on April 19, 1971, at Ohio Valley General Hospital at age 83. He was survived by three daughters and is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Wheeling.
To learn more: Google Patents (https://tinyurl.com/yxc4kd66), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/4byzmcsb), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/3ee3etkr)
Photo credits: U.S. Patent Office, Find a Grave, Wheeling Intelligencer
George W. Redeker was born in Wheeling on September 13, 1887, to John A. and Rose Kinney Redeker. He became a prominent Catholic layperson, successful business person, and inventor who made significant contributions to Wheeling's plumbing industry. In 1904, at just seventeen years old, Redeker founded the Redeker Company, a plumbing and heating contracting business that served the Wheeling community for decades. Redeker demonstrated both business acumen and technical innovation when he filed for United States Patent No. 1,016,521 on December 8, 1910, for his invention of a "Flushing Apparatus for Water Pipes." The patent was granted on February 6, 1912. This device was designed to clear sediment and foreign matter from service pipes, demonstrating his commitment to improving plumbing technology. Redeker was deeply involved in Catholic affairs, serving as a member and past Grand Knight of Columbia Council, Knights of Columbus, and holding leadership positions in St. Alphonsus Church's Holy Name Society. He was also past president of the West Virginia Plumbers Association. Redeker resided at 2207 Chapline Street in Centre Wheeling. He married Emma W. Tighe, who predeceased him in February 1971. George W. Redeker died on April 19, 1971, at Ohio Valley General Hospital at age 83. He was survived by three daughters and is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Wheeling.
To learn more: Google Patents (https://tinyurl.com/yxc4kd66), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/4byzmcsb), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/3ee3etkr)
Photo credits: U.S. Patent Office, Find a Grave, Wheeling Intelligencer
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