Henry William Putnam (1825–1915) was an American businessman, inventor, manufacturer, and philanthropist born in Essex, New York, and who later lived in Cleveland, Ohio, Bennington, Vermont, Escondido, California, and San Diego, California.
Putnam is known for inventions, improvements, and manufacturing of the Lightning stopper, fence wire barbing machine, and the adjustable clothes wringer.
The Putnam Lightning stopper saw widespread use as a means to hold externally inserted corks into blob top[clarification needed] soda bottles.
He received Patent #256,857 on April 25, 1882, adapting the Lightning closure to wide-mouth jars.
[3] On October 28, 1879, David E. Stevens received a patent (#231,001) that he assigned to Henry Putnam.