Father's Birthplace: New Jersey
Mother's Birthplace: New York
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USA Social Security Death Index
Given Name: Franklin
Surname: Chatfield
Birth Date: 9 June 1875
Social Security Number: 472-10-2938
State: Minnesota
Last Place of Residence: Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota
Previous Residence Postal Code: 55407
Event Date: 7 July 1973
Age: 98
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Burial Plot: Block 7C
Find A Grave Memorial# 125689028
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Family story is that Grandpa Frank was on his way to the gold rush, stopped in Minneapolis, got a "temporary" job at Munsingwear and stayed. He'd worked in knitting mills in Cohoes, and rapidly rose in Munsingwear. He was posthumously awarded Minnesota Inventor of the Year, with over 20 patents in knitting machinery. Ended up a VP -- he refused the presidency because he preferred working on the floor and dreaming up new ways of doing things.
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Inventors Hall of Fame - Minnesota
Franklin Chatfield - 1979 Inductee
(1875 - 1973) A mechanical genius and long-time vice-president of Munsingwear, Inc., he was considered an inventive genius throughout the circular knit industry. At age 14, his formal education ended. He started working as a laborer carrying huge yarn baskets in one of the 21 knitting mills in the area of Cohoes, New York, then the knitting capital of the USA. His curiosity about machinery, knitting, mechanics, and chemistry promoted much extra study and self instruction and, in time, he became recognized as one of the leading experts in the understanding, maintenance, improvement and repair of the relatively complicated tubular knitting machines of that era. In 1902, he debated whether he should gamble and go to the Yukon in the "new" gold rush to seek his fortune, or gamble and go to Munsingwear in Minneapolis. He felt at that time that they were equal gambles, but he knew he had mastered the care of knitting machines, so off he went to Minneapolis in 1903, with the idea that if it didn’t work out, he’d go on to the Yukon gold rush.
For 40 years he developed and improved knitting and fabric processing machinery, acquiring 34 U.S. patents. His mechanical patents greatly increased the efficiency of the manufacturing process so that the mutual benefit of quality manufacturing and price control is passed on to the apparel industry and the consuming public. He fought for standardization and simplification, both at Munsingwear and in the knitting industry. He devoted many years to research on shrinkage control and on development and improvement of fabrics. His garment patents have directly affected the quality, fit and comfort of today’s underwear. Chatfield’s accomplishments helped Munsingwear grow into a multi-million dollar, international apparel company.
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USA Census, 1940
Name: Franklin Chatfield
Event Place: Ward 13, Minneapolis, Minneapolis City, Hennepin, Minnesota
Gender: Male
Age: 64
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Birthplace: New York
Birth Year (Estimated): 1876
Last Place of Residence: Same House
District: 89-436
Family Number: 72
Sheet Number and Letter: 3B
Line Number: 61
Digital Folder Number: 005454978
Image Number: 00974
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head Franklin Chatfield M 64 New York
Wife Alice Chatfield F 62 New York
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