Sanford L. Cluett

Class of 1898
Inventor
1874 - 1968

As a student, Cluett invented a bubble sextant for celestial navigation.

In 1919 he joined Cluett, Peabody and Co., a textile firm founded by his uncles that produced men’s clothing and accessories, including Arrow shirts.

Of Cluett’s more than 200 patents, the most significant was the processing of cloth to reduce shrinkage, which came to be called Sanforizing.

At the time of his death, Sanforized cloth was licensed for manufacture by 448 mills operating in 58 countries. Cluett also invented clupak, a stretchable paper that was difficult to tear. It found extensive use in shopping bags and as wrapping paper for magazines, tires, meat, and furniture.