Elisha Foote


Elisha Foote was an American judge, inventor, and mathematician. He was married to the scientist and women's rights campaigner Eunice Newton.

Early life

Foote was born in Lee, Massachusetts on August 1, 1809. He was the son of Elisha Foote and Delia Foote. Foote was educated at the Albany Institute.

Career

He studied law with Judge Daniel Cady in Johnstown, New York. After being admitted to the bar, he settled in western New York, and was district attorney and then judge of the court of common pleas of Seneca County, New York. His specialty was patent law, and he made several valuable inventions. In 1864 he was appointed to the board of appeals at the U. S. Patent Office. On July 28, 1868, he was appointed the eleventh Commissioner of Patents. Foote was the author of several books and papers on mathematics.

Personal life

On August 12, 1841, he married Eunice Newton. Elisha and Eunice were the parents of:
He died in St. Louis, Missouri on October 22, 1883. Eunice died five years later, on September 30, 1888.