Directors of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Since the first U.S. patent law was enacted in 1790, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been led by more than 52 directors and countless acting and deputy heads, listed in Table 1. The title of the chief executive officer of the Patent Office has changed over the decades, as shown in Table 2.

• The longest serving head of the Patent Office was Dr. William Thornton, who served from late 1802 until his death on March 3, 1828.
• The longest serving Patent Office CEO of the 20th century was Thomas E. Robertson, who served from April 6, 1921 to June 25, 1933, a total of 4,463 days.
• The Patent Office head with the shortest term was Melvin H. Coulston, who served for a mere 34 days in 1921.
• Benjamin Butterworth is the only Commissioner to have served two non-consecutive terms, 1883-1885 and 1897-1898.
• Robert Holland Duell and Charles Holland Duell are the only father and son to have served as Commissioners, in 1875-1876 and 1898-1901, respectively.

See the USPTO website for biographical sketches.

Table 1. Directors of the USPTO, 1790-Present

Year	Name	Number	Term	Length (Days)
2018	Andrei Iancu	59th[1]	Feb. 8, 2018-	–
2017	Joseph Matal	Acting	June 7, 2017-Feb. 7, 2018	246
2015	Michelle K. Lee	53rd	Mar. 13, 2015-June 7, 2017	816
2014	Michelle K. Lee	Deputy	Jan. 13, 2014-Mar. 12, 2015	423
2013	Teresa Stanek Rea	Acting	Feb. 1, 2013-Jan. 12, 2014	345
2009	David Kappos	52nd	Aug. 13, 2009-Jan. 31, 2013	1267
2008	John Doll	Acting	Nov. 15, 2008-Aug. 12, 2009	270
2004	Jon W. Dudas	51st	Jan. 12, 2004-Nov. 14, 2008*	1769
2001	James E. Rogan	50th	Dec. 1, 2001-Jan. 9, 2004	769
2001	Nicholas P. Godici	Acting	Jan. 21, 2001-Nov. 30, 2001	313
1999	Q. Todd Dickinson	49th	Jan. 1, 1999-Jan. 20, 2001	751[2]
1993	Bruce Lehman	48th	Aug. 11, 1993-Dec. 31, 1998	1968
1990	Harry Manbeck	47th	Mar. 12, 1990-May 1, 1992	782
1985	Donald J. Quigg	46th	Oct. 13, 1985-Oct. 31, 1989	1480
1981	Gerald J. Mossinghoff	45th	July 8, 1981-Jan. 21, 1985	1294
1979	Sidney A. Diamond	44th	Nov. 29, 1979-Jan. 17, 1981	416
1978	Donald W. Banner	43rd	June 5, 1978-June 30, 1979	390
1974	C. Marshall Dann	42nd	Feb.11, 1974-Aug. 31, 1977	1297
1972	Robert Gottschalk	41st	Jan. 7, 1972-June 20, 1973	531
1969	William E. Schuyler, Jr.	40th	May 7, 1969-Aug. 25, 1971	841
1964	Edward J. Brenner	39th	Mar. 11, 1964-May 6, 1969	1822
1961	David Lowell Ladd	38th	Apr. 17, 1961-Oct. 1, 1963	898
1953	Robert C. Watson	37th	Feb. 18, 1953-Mar. 1, 1961	2934
1949	John A. Marzall	36th	Dec. 2, 1949-Feb. 3, 1953	1159
1947	Lawrence C. Kingsland	35th	Sept. 10, 1947-Dec. 1, 1949	813
1945	Casper W. Ooms	34th	July 20, 1945-Sept. 9, 1947	782
1933	Conway P. Coe	33rd	June 26, 1933-June 15, 1945	4373
1921	Thomas E. Robertson	32nd	Apr. 6, 1921-June 25, 1933	4463
1921	Melvin H. Coulston	31st	Mar. 3, 1921-Apr. 5, 1921	34
1920	Robert Frederick Whitehead	30th	Aug. 10, 1920-Feb. 5, 1921	179
1917	James T. Newton	29th	Aug. 27, 1917-July 19, 1920	1058
1913	Thomas Ewing	28th	Aug. 15, 1913-Aug. 15, 1917	1462
1907	Edward Bruce Moore	27th	June 1, 1907-Aug. 14, 1913	2267
1901	Frederick Innes Allen	26th	Apr. 1, 1901-May 31, 1907	2252
1898	Charles Holland Duell	25th	Feb. 5, 1898-Mar. 31, 1901	1150
1897	Benjamin Butterworth	19th (2nd term)	Apr. 13, 1897-Jan. 16, 1898	278
1893	John S. Seymour	24th	Apr. 16, 1893-Apr. 12, 1897	1457
1891	William Edgar Simonds	23rd	Aug. 1, 1891-Apr. 15, 1893	623
1889	Charles Elliott Mitchell	22nd	Apr. 1, 1889-July 31, 1891	851
1887	Benton J. Hall	21st	Apr. 12, 1887-Mar. 31, 1889	719
1885	Martin V. B. Montgomery	20th	Mar. 18, 1885-Apr. 11, 1887	754
1883	Benjamin Butterworth	19th	Nov. 1, 1883-Mar. 3, 1885	488
1880	Edgar M. Marble	18th	May 7, 1880-Oct. 31, 1883	1272
1878	Gen. Halbert Eleazer Paine	17th	Nov. 1, 1878-May 6, 1880	552
1877	Ellis Spear	16th	Jan. 29, 1877-Oct. 31, 1878	641
1875	Robert Holland Duell	15th	Oct. 1, 1875-Dec. 31, 1876	458
1874	John Marshall Thacher	14th	Nov. 1, 1874-Sept. 30, 1875	333
1871	Gen. Mortimer D. Leggett	13th	Jan. 16, 1871-Oct.31, 1874	1384
1869	Samuel S. Fisher	12th	Apr. 26, 1869-Nov. 10, 1870	563
1868	Elisha Foote	11th	Aug. 1, 1868-Apr. 25, 1869	267
1865	Thomas C. Thaker	10th	Aug. 16, 1865-Jan. 20, 1868	887
1861	David P. Holloway	9th	Mar. 28, 1861-Aug. 16, 1865	1602
1860	Philip Francis Thomas	8th	Feb. 16, 1860-Dec. 10, 1860	298
1859	William Darius Bishop	7th	May 29, 1859-Feb. 15, 1860	263
1857	Joseph Holt	6th	Sept. 10, 1857-Mar. 14, 1859	551
1853	Charles Mason	5th	May 16, 1853-Aug. 4, 1857	1542
1852	Silas Henry Hodges	4th	Nov. 8, 1852-Mar. 25, 1853	138
1849	Thomas Ewbank	3rd	May 10, 1849-Nov. 8, 1852	1279
1845	Edmund Burke	2nd	May 7, 1845-May 10, 1849	1465
1836	Henry L. Ellsworth	1st	July 11, 1835-May 6, 1845	3955
1835	J.C. Pickens		Feb. 1, 1835-Apr. 30, 1835	88
1829	Dr. John D. Craig		June 11, 1829-Jan. 31, 1835	2061
1828	Dr. Thomas P. Jones		Apr. 12, 1828-June 10, 1829	425
1802	Dr. William Thornton		Oct. 1802-Mar. 3, 1828	9285
1790	Thomas Jefferson		1790-1793

[1] USPTO press release (Feb. 8, 2018, 18-03) states that Iancu is the 59th leader of the USPTO. However, this is correct only if acting/deputy leaders are included.

[2] Including acting appointments.

Table 2. Titles of the Directors of the USPTO, 1790-Present

Year	Title	Notes
1999	Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office	American Inventor’s Protection Act of November 29, 1999
1982	Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks	Public Law 97-366 of October 25, 1982
1975	Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks	Public Law 93-596 of January 2, 1975
1836	Commissioner of Patents	Patent Act of July 4, 1836
1802	Superintendent of Patents

 Sources

Dobyns, Kenneth W. The Patent Office Pony: A History of the Early Patent Office. Fredericksburg, Va: Sergeant Kirkland’s Museum and Historical Society, 1994.

U.S. Department of Commerce. The Story of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1981.