'''Jacob Haish''' (March_9, 1826–February_19, 1926) was one of the first inventors of Barbed_wire. His type of barbed wire was in direct competition with the other barbed wire manufacturers in DeKalb,_Illinois. ==Early life== Haish was born in Germany and immigrated with his family to the United States in 1835. He came to Illinois in 1845, and moved to DeKalb in 1853, where he was a carpenter. He cultivated Osage_orange hedges whose thorns made them effective as cattle fencing. ==The birth of barbed wire== In late 1872 Henry Rose developed a wire fence with an attached wooden strip containing projecting wire points to dissuade encroaching livestock. He Patented his fence in May, 1873 and exhibited it at the DeKalb County Fair that summer. This prompted Haish and other DeKalb area residents Isaac_Ellwood and Joseph_Glidden to work on improving the concept. Haish had patented three styles of barbed fencing by June, 1874, before Joseph Glidden's patent issued that November. When Haish's patent for an "S-barb" design was granted in August, 1875, he launched a drawn out legal battle to stymie his rival. It failed at the US_Supreme_Court in 1892, but he continued in the business until his retirement in 1916. ==Haish gifts a library== On July_1, 1893 the city council of DeKalb, Illinois decreed the establishment of a public library. The oridnance's impetus was mostly requests from the Ladies of the Library Association, a group that had conducted a reading room for a few years. The library moved twice before the Haish gift came along. First located on the second floor of city hall and then later, in 1923, the second floor of the DeKalb ''Daily Chronicle'' building on Lincoln_Highway. Haish had bequested a $150,000 gift to the library in his will in 1931. The result was the Haish_Memorial_Library on the outskirts of downtown DeKalb. ===Other gifts=== Haish's philanthropy extended to the greater DeKalb community as well. He built an opera house in 1876, which, incidentally burned down in 1906, though it was quickly rebuilt. He also gave money to help fund a public gymnasium and an addition to the DeKalb Public Hospital. The first books at Northern Illinois State Normal School, later Northern_Illinois_University, were purchased with a $10,000 gift from Haish; equipment for the library was purchased with an additional $1,400 donation. ==External links== *Jacob Haish biographical timeline *Barbed wire: from the University of Texas at Austin *History: DeKalb Public Library *Location of Haish mansion built in 1884, demolished in 1961 '''Haish Patents:''' * {{US patent|146671}} – Jacob Haish, DeKalb, Illinois, ''Improvement in Wire Fences'' – "spirally wrapped wires, the ends being hooked together to form projecting spikes" (January, 1874) * {{US patent|147634}} – ''Improvement in Barbed Fences'' – "sheet metal pronged attachments", riveted or nailed to fence rails (February, 1874) * {{US patent|152368}} – ''Barbed-Wire Fences'' – "twisted wires and spirally interwoven metallic strip having projecting spurs" (June, 1874) * {{US patent|167240}} – ''Improvement in Wire-fence Barbs'' – "single piece of wire bent into the form of the letter S" so that both strands are clasped (August, 1875) This improvement was the foundation for Haish's successful business. Category:History_of_Illinois Category:Inventors