Dr.
Robert
William
"Bob"
Kearns
Born in Gary, Lake, Indiana, United States
Ancestors 
Son of Martin W. Kearns
and Mary (O'Hara) Kearns
Brother of
Martin Kearns
Husband of
[private wife (1930s - 2010s)]
Father of
[private son (1950s - unknown)] and
[private daughter (1960s - unknown)]
Died
at age 77
in Baltimore, Maryland, United States [uncertain]
[uncertain]Profile last modified
| Created 2 Apr 2009
This page has been accessed 6,537 times.
Biography
Robert grew up by Detroit near the auto factories and was the inventor of the intermittent windshield wipers using an electric motor developed in the 1960s. His patent was filed in 1964.
When he presented his idea to the big automakers, they were not interested. However, by 1969, the intermittent windshield wiper was appearing on new models, starting with Ford.
Robert spent most of his life after 1969 suing automakers for patent infringement. He felt he deserved the credit and to be the sole manufacturer of this auto advancement.
His story is told in the 2008 movie Flash of Genius.
Sources
- Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 04 June 2019), memorial page for Dr Robert William Kearns (10 Mar 1927–9 Feb 2005), Find A Grave: Memorial #10527866, citing Mount Kelly Cemetery, Dearborn, Wayne County, Michigan, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave .
- Wikipedia: Robert_Kearns
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Robert is 25 degrees from Harry Ferguson, 25 degrees from Arthur Guinness, 31 degrees from Seamus Heaney, 31 degrees from Jack Kyle, 25 degrees from Stephen Boyd, 34 degrees from Robert Moore, 28 degrees from Ruby Lamar, 25 degrees from Fanny Parnell, 24 degrees from William Pirrie, 24 degrees from Jonathan Swift, 28 degrees from John Synge and 24 degrees from Celia Marsh on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
K > Kearns > Robert William Kearns
Categories: Michigan, Inventors | Automotive History | Mount Kelly Cemetery, Dearborn, Michigan