Inventor Biography: Marion Donovan

Marion L. (Whelan) Donovan, formerly Marion O’Brien, was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1917. She grew up in a family of inventors. Her father and uncle invented the ‘South Bend lathe’, which was used for grinding of automotive gears. Her mother died when Marion was seven years old; therefore, she spent most of her time at the factory that her father owned.

O’Brien decided it was time to move on with her life so she moved East and attended Rosemont College located in Philadelphia. She graduated in 1939 with a BA in English Literature. She went to New York and found a job as an Assistant Beauty Editor for Vogue magazine. Soon after working for Vogue magazine, she resigned from the position and married James Donovan, a leather importer. She and her husband moved to Westport, Cincinnati where they decided to start a family.

A piece of cloth rectangular in shape, which was folded using traditional methods of ancestors, was the typical diaper used in the 40’s. As World War II enveloped the world, the onset of working mothers brought about diaper service. Donovan had a brainstorm and developed the notion of a waterproof disposable diaper.

Donovan invented and designed what was referred to as the “boater”. Her daughter, Christine, was two years old at this time. This seemed to prompt Donovan to work harder to finish her invention. She destroyed numerous shower curtains and went to her sewing machine to design a contour cover. This proved to be leakproof and also eliminated diaper rash. The reason it was called the “boater” is because it assisted babies to “stay afloat”. Believe it or not, the final product was of nylon parachute cloth. Donovan added another feature to her invention. Instead of the dangerous safety pins she used metal and plastic snaps.

A patent was granted to Donovan in 1951. The “boater” fit babies by wrapping snugly around the tummy with a snap. The best attribute in the “boater” is that there was no binding or pinching. Donovan wanted to carry her ideas further. She was not satisfied with her creation and felt she could improve its purpose. Her next brainstorm was to create a disposable paper diaper. She wanted to create a diaper that would keep moisture away from the baby’s skin. Finally, she managed to design a disposable absorbent paper diaper that would do the job well.

Donovan received bad news that her disposable paper diapers did not have much success. She decided to travel around the United States to attempt to market her creation. Her pride was hurt, as people laughed at the idea. Most responses were that this type of diaper was impractical. Contrary to popular belief, Donovan’s diaper invention sold for about $1 million. She wanted to dedicate her time to creating more inventions. The good news is that ten years later Victor Mills perfected what is commonly known as Pampersâ. Mills was an engineer with Proctor & Gamble, and being a grandfather, became inspired to develop the disposable cloth diaper.

Donovan wanted to continue her education and returned to school. In 1958, at age 41 she graduated with an Architecture degree from Yale University. She put this degree to use by designing her own home in Greenwich, Connecticut. By this time in 1980, she had invented numerous products for solutions around the home. Donovan would look at a problem and know that it could be done better than the traditional way. Even though she faced a lot of failures in her life, she followed her dreams of making the world a better place.

Other inventions of Mary Donovan include a compact hanger holding 30 garments, an elastic cord that attached to the zipper on the back of a dress, and a soap dish that was designed to drain into a sink. The elastic cord was given the name “Zippity-Do”. The number of patents that Donovan received increased to over a dozen.

After her death on November 4, 1998, she finally received the recognition that she deserved. Marion Donovan worked until she was 81 years old. She worked for John Hancock Insurance Company in Boston for 26 years. Following this position she worked at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for 10 years. She also worked for John T. Berry Center in North Reading for 10 years and the Shaughnessy Hospital in Salem for four years.

Sad, but true, Donovan’s name is still not widely recognized, but all the parents in the world have a great deal to thank her for.