Lewis Waterman founded the Waterman Pen Company after patenting a practical fountain-pen feed in 1884.
Waterman was an American insurance salesman and inventor who became involved in pen manufacturing in New York. His key improvement was a “three fissure feed,” designed to regulate ink flow more reliably than earlier fountain pens.
The company began in 1884 and became one of the first major fountain-pen firms. Waterman’s design helped make fountain pens more dependable for everyday writing, including schoolwork, correspondence, and business documents.
A popular story says that Waterman invented his pen after an ink leak ruined an insurance contract. That dramatic tale is widely repeated but is not supported by the historical evidence. The documented achievement is his patent and the company he built around improved ink delivery.