George Washington (inventor)
Belgian-British inventor who mass-produced instant coffee.
George Constant Louis Washington (May 20, 1871 – March 29, 1946) was a Belgian-British inventor and businessman who made his name by refining an early instant coffee process and founding the G. Washington Coffee Refining Company to mass-produce it. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, to an English father and Belgian mother, he was a British subject by nationality law until becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in May 1918. He studied chemistry at the University of Bonn in Germany without graduating, then married Angeline Céline Virginie Van Nieuwenhuyse in December 1895. The couple arrived in the New York area from Antwerp in October 1896 (though the 1900 U.S. Census lists their emigration year as 1897), settling in Brooklyn and later having three children: Louisa, Irene, and George Jr.
Before hitting on coffee, Washington dabbled in several technical fields. He founded the George Washington Lighting Company in Jersey City to produce kerosene gas mantles, but abandoned it when incandescent bulbs took over. He also ran a camera company for a time. Around 1906 or 1907, during a brief stint at cattle ranching in Guatemala, he developed his instant coffee process. Returning to New York after about a year, he began selling the coffee in 1909 and incorporated his company in 1910. Based in New York and New Jersey, the business thrived, becoming a key military supplier during World War I. Its products were advertised in New York newspapers and on the radio, and Washington grew wealthy from the venture.
Washington lived in a Park Slope mansion at 47 Prospect Park West in Brooklyn, occupying half a city block, and also owned an 18-bedroom waterfront estate on 40 acres in Brookhaven, New York, near Bellport. That property, later called Washington Lodge, featured the largest concrete swimming pool in New York at the time. Two attempted sales—one for $150,000 in May 1926 and another in 1927—fell through. In 1927, after his company relocated to New Jersey, he moved to the former estate of Governor Franklin Murphy at "Franklin Farms" in Mendham. That same year, he lost a dispute with tax authorities. Washington Lodge was sold in January 1943 to Nathan Edelstein, later operating as a hotel, restaurant, and children’s camp before being bought by the Catholic Marist Brothers in 1960 as a summer retreat. It was leased to Bay Community School starting in 1970, and has since been divided
- known_for
- Improvement of instant coffee process; founder of G. Washington Coffee Refining Company
Lore & Background
George Washington was born in Kortrijk, Belgium to Jean Guillaume Washington of England and Marie Louise Tant of Belgium. He studied chemistry at the University of Bonn in Germany without graduating. He married Angeline Céline Virginie Van Nieuwenhuyse in December 1895, and they emigrated to the United States, arriving in the New York area in 1897. They had three children: Louisa, Irene, and George Jr. Before his coffee work, Washington founded a kerosene gas mantle company and a camera company. He tried cattle ranching in Guatemala in 1906 or 1907, during which he developed his instant coffee process. He returned to New York after about a year and began selling his coffee in 1909, founding the G. Washington Coffee Refining Company in 1910. The company prospered, becoming an important mil
Reader's Guide
George Washington's significance lies in his role in bringing instant coffee to large-scale commercial production. While he was not the first to invent an instant coffee process—David Strang in New Zealand held the first patent in 1890, and chemist Satori Kato's work was a precursor—Washington's invention was the first effort that led to large-scale commercial manufacture. His company, based in New York and New Jersey, became a key military supplier during World War I, and its products were advertised in newspapers and on radio. The success made Washington wealthy. The company was sold to American Home Products in 1943, and the coffee brand was discontinued by 1961. However, Washington's name persists in the product G. Washington's Seasoning & Broth. His legacy is that of an inventor who successfully commercialized a convenience food, though some uncertainty exists about the independence of his discovery from that of his personal physician, Federico Lehnhoff Wyld.
Did You Know?
- Washington was a British subject until he was naturalized as an American in May 1918.
- He held over two dozen patents in hydrocarbon lamps, cameras, and food processing.
- His instant coffee was first marketed as Red E Coffee (a pun on 'ready') in 1909.
- He maintained menageries with rare birds, deer, llamas, and zebras on his country estates.
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