Norton, Edwin

Edwin Norton, (born March 27, 1845, Rockton, Ill., U.S.—died Dec. 31, 1914, New York, N.Y.), American inventor and manufacturer.

Norton began manufacturing tin cans on a small scale in 1868. With his brother, he opened a number of successively larger and more diversified Norton plants. By 1890 he had perfected the first automatic can-making line. He invented the solder-trimmed cap and the machinery for making it, revolutionizing can manufacturing. He received more than 300 patents. Socially, he was an influential supporter of shorter working hours for labourers.