Charles Holland Duell
| Charles Holland Duell | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
April 13, 1850 Cortland, New York |
| Died | January 29, 1920 (aged 69) Yonkers, New York |
| Education | Hamilton College (1871) |
| Title | Commissioner of the United States Patent and Trademark Office |
| Term | 1898–1901 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | Charles Holland Duell II William S. Duell Holland S. Duell |
Charles Holland Duell (April 13, 1850 – January 29, 1920) was the commissioner of the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1898 to 1901, and was later a United States federal judge.
He was born in Cortland, New York, the son of Congressman R. Holland Duell (1824–1891) and Mary L. (Cuyler) Duell (1822–1884). He graduated A.B. from Hamilton College in 1871, and from Hamilton College Law School in 1872. He married Harriet M. Sackett (born 1854), and they had several children, among them State Senator Holland S. Duell (1881–1942).
He was in private practice in New York City from 1873 to 1880, and was a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co., 13th D.) in 1878 and 1880. He moved his practice to Syracuse, New York from 1880 to 1898.
In 1898, he was appointed as the United States Commissioner of Patents, and held that post until 1901. In that role, he is famous for purportedly saying "Everything that can be invented has been invented." However, this has been debunked as apocryphal by librarian Samuel Sass who traced the quote back to a 1981 book titled "The Book of Facts and Fallacies" by Chris Morgan and David Langford. In fact, Duell said in 1902:
In my opinion, all previous advances in the various lines of invention will appear totally insignificant when compared with those which the present century will witness. I almost wish that I might live my life over again to see the wonders which are at the threshold.
Dennis Crouch saw a correlation between the expression and a joke from a 1899 edition of Punch magazine.
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