Physical chemistry and textiles
Ruth Benerito: inventions and patents
Known for Easy-care (wash and wear) cotton processNationality Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States12 January 1916 to 5 October 2013
Ruth Benerito, born in New Orleans, worked for 33 years from 1953 at the US Department of Agriculture's Southern Regional Research Center. Her best-known work is the easy-care cotton process that produced wash and wear clothing, and she held 55 US patents, according to the Lemelson-MIT Program. She received the Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.1
Inventions
- Easy-care cotton. A chemical treatment process for cotton fabric that produced wash and wear clothing.1
Recognition
- 1970 USDA Distinguished Service Award1
- 1970 American Chemical Society Garvan Award1
- 2002 Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award1
- 2008 Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame1
Sources
- Lemelson-MIT Program, Ruth Benerito (accessed 2026-10-27)