George Roby Dempster may not be as well known to the public as other historical inventors, but he is just as important as any of them. Garbage collection and junk removal were in their infancy before Dempster’s innovations. His inventions and business would revolutionize the trash and junk collection industry worldwide. Dempster’s time as a politician and businessman also left some positive outcomes. George Dempster left a lasting impact on the trash and recycling collection business, infrastructure, and Civil Rights.
Daniel Boustead explains.
Thornycroft Steam Dust-Cart of 1897 with tipper body.
Garbage collection before George Dempster was in the primitive stages of development. In the late 1800s, horse-drawn collection carts were the primary method of trash collection.[1] In 1897, the first powered steam-powered tip car was introduced in London, United Kingdom.[2] Steam and eventually gas-powered trucks replaced horse-drawn carriages for garbage collection in the coming years. Garbage trucks of the 1920s were essentially pickup trucks with covered cargo bodies.[3] However, trash collectors still had the tedious task of lifting trash to shoulder level into these trucks. In the late 1920s, the introduction of the hopper eliminated the need for garbage collectors to lift trash overhead. The first external truck hopper was released in 1929 and was located on the side. These trucks would become known as technically as Rear-Loader Garbage Trucks.
George Roby Dempster was born on September 12th, 1887, and died on October 19th, 1964.[4] By the age of 16, he was operating a locomotive.[5] It was before that time that Dempster had worked various railroad jobs in Virginia. It was after he graduated from high school in 1906 that he went to work with his brother Thomas on the Panama Canal. It was while he was there that he operated the first steam shovel on the Pacific Cut of the Panama Canal. Dempster had intimate knowledge of heavy machines from an early age. He would remain in Panama from 1907 until 1912, when he returned to the USA.[6]
Founding of businesses
It was after Dempster returned from Panama that he founded (with his brothers) the Dempster Construction Company.[7] Around the same time, George Dempster also founded, again with his brothers, the Dempster Machinery Company. However, the Great Depression of 1929 forced both businesses into bankruptcy. Dempster was determined to remain a success despite this setback. In 1935, he conceived the Dempster-Dumpster to facilitate construction work further. The device was patented in February 1935.
The early Dumpster system involved a hydraulic hoist mounted on the back of a motor truck, which allowed open-top buckets to be engaged, lifted, and transported. The Dempster Dumpster truck system then allowed shallow buckets of the Dumpster to be tipped out in the back as they were held in a raised position by the hoist at the back of the truck. The Dempster Dumpsters truck system eventually allowed the handling of 38,000 pounds net load, plus the two-ton weight of the bucket, all on a single-axle, heavy-duty truck. The Dempster Dumpster truck system reduced the cost of collecting, hauling, and dumping garbage at a rate of 75% when compared with the conventional dump truck style garbage trucks of the day. George Dempster’s invention soon began to attract the interest of other operators. Not long after George patented his device, he and his five brothers founded Dempster Brothers, Inc. to manufacture dumpsters. In 1937, Knoxville, Tennessee, became the first “Dumpster City” to employ George Roby Dempster’s invention.
George Dempster and his company would continue to help drive further innovations that would help propel the trash, junk, and recycling business forward. By 1939, George Dempster’s company designed and manufactured the Dempster-Balester (7). This machine was a hydraulic machine capable of crushing and baling an entire automobile into a convenient billet for easy shipping. This machine was so revolutionary that the Soviet government ordered sixteen Model 125 Balesters under the American government’s lend-lease program.[8] The deal required each of Dempster’s Balesters to be accompanied by 15 blueprints so that the government of the Soviet Union could build the machine after World War II had ended. Today, every junkyard uses a similar Dempster-like machine to recycle and bale junk automobiles properly.
George Dempster’s company also made another significant development in trash collection in 1958 with the introduction of the modern Roll-Off Garbage truck system, the Dempster Dinosaur.[9] In the fall of 1958, Dempster introduced the roll-off Dempster Dinosaur garbage truck system.[10] The Dempster Dinosaur, like all other “roll-offs,” featured a tilting frame that enabled the container to be loaded onto and off the truck. However, unlike other “roll-offs” that used a hoist and cable to load their cargo, the Dempster Dinosaur's hoist was coupled directly to the container through a spring-loaded bail. By the time his career had ended, George Roby Dempster held over 75 patents for his inventions (7).
Politics
Dempster also had a productive political career in Tennessee. In 1929, he was appointed as the city manager of Knoxville, Tennessee.[11] He would serve a two-year term in this position. In 1935, George served as the city manager of Knoxville, Tennessee, for another two-year term. George would later serve two terms on the Knoxville City Council. From 1952 to 1955, he served as mayor of Knoxville after the city adopted a mayoral form of government. It was during his 10 years working in the city that he became an effective administrator. According to one reporter, George would often talk to two callers simultaneously on two telephones at his desk. George’s leadership was so decisive that an aggrieved citizen would talk to George on the first telephone, only to be surprised when Mayor Dempster called the appropriate department on the second telephone to negotiate a solution to the problem.
George’s administrations in the Knoxville government resulted in the construction of the Henley Street Bridge, the construction of Smithson (later Bill Meyer) Stadium, and the construction of an extensive sewage disposal system[12]. He also helped start four branch libraries, a gas plant, and a municipal garage, all in Knoxville. Four Libraries were dedicated during his time in political office (4).
Civil rights
As a politician and businessman, George Dempster made significant progress in advancing Civil Rights for African Americans and people with disabilities. George’s time in the government in Knoxville saw him employ the first African American civil service secretary (11). He also helped build the first African American fire department in Knoxville. In addition, George conceived of an African American unit at Knoxville General Hospital. It was also because of George’s altruistic hiring practices that handicapped workers made up more than 10% of the workforce at his plant[13]. The high number of handicapped workers at the plant was not due to any accidents at the plant.[14] This was because the plant had an outstanding safety record.
George Roby Dempster’s impact on society was just as significant as that of any other major inventor. George’s inventions and innovations took trash, recycling, and junk out of the primitive stages. In addition, his political impact during his time in office was both productive and positive. George Dempster left a lasting impact on the waste and recycling industry and was a champion for the disadvantaged.
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References
Btrmarketing.”Rear Loader Garbage Truck Rental Service: The History of the Rear Loader Garbage Truck”. BTR, January 15th, 2019, https://bigtruckrental.com/blog/rear-loader-garbage-truck-rental-service/rear-loader-history/ .
Btrmarketing.”The History of the Front Loader Garbage Truck”, BTR, April 15th, 2019, https://bigtruckrental.com/blog/front-loader-garbage-truck-rental-service/front-loader-history/ .
Btrmarketing.”The History of the Roll of Garbage Truck”, BTR, February 2nd, 2019, https://bigtruckrental.com/blog/roll-off-garbage-truck-rental-service/roll-off-history/ .
Classic Refuse Trucks. “Beginnings: The Dempster Dumpster”. January 7th, 2006, https://www.classicrefusetrucks.com/albums/DE/DE01.html .
Classic Refuse Trucks. “Dempster Dinosaur”. January 7th, 2006 (updated August 29th, 2021), https://www.classicrefusetrucks.com/albums/DE/DE05.html .
Commendatore, Cristina.”Then and Now: A Look at How the Garbage Truck Has Evolved”. Waste 360, by informa, November 14th, 2018, https://www.waste360.com/fleet-technology/then-and-now-a-look-at-how-the-garbage-truck-has-evolved.
Parkinson, Robert.”George Roby Dempster”, Tennessee Encyclopedia, The Tennessee Historical Society, October 8th, 2017, https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/george-roby-dempster/ .
Tumblin, J.C. Fountain City: People Who Made a Difference: The History of Knoxville’s most fiercely independent community in the stories of 56 extraordinary citizens. Knoxville: Tennessee. Celtic Cat Publishing. 2016.
Tumblin, Jim, Dr. ”Geroge R. Dempster: The later years”, Fountain City, Our Town Stories, KnoxTN Today, April 16th, 2019, https://www.knoxtntoday.com/george-r-dempster-the-later-years/ .
Tumblin, J.C.”Fountain Citians Who Made a Difference: George R. Dempster (1887-1964)”.www.fountaincitynhistory.info, The Wayback Machine, 2002, https://web.archive.org/web/20110101120335/http://www.fountaincitytnhistory.info/People7-Dempster.htm .
[1] Commendatore, Cristina.”Then and Now: A Look at How the Garbage Truck Has Evolved”. Waste 360, by informa, November 14th, 2018, https://www.waste360.com/fleet-technology/then-and-now-a-look-at-how-the-garbage-truck-has-evolved.
[2] Btrmarketing.”Rear Loader Garbage Truck Rental Service: The History of the Rear Loader Garbage Truck”. BTR, January 15th, 2019, https://bigtruckrental.com/blog/rear-loader-garbage-truck-rental-service/rear-loader-history/ .
[3] Btrmarketing.”The History of the Front Loader Garbage Truck”, BTR, April 15th, 2019, https://bigtruckrental.com/blog/front-loader-garbage-truck-rental-service/front-loader-history/ .
[4] Parkinson, Robert.”George Roby Dempster”, Tennessee Encyclopedia, The Tennessee Historical Society, October 8th, 2017, https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/george-roby-dempster/ .
[5] Classic Refuse Trucks. “Beginnings: The Dempster Dumpster”. January 7th, 2006, https://www.classicrefusetrucks.com/albums/DE/DE01.html .
[6] Tumblin, Jim, Dr. ”Geroge R. Dempster: The later years”, Fountain City, Our Town Stories, KnoxTN Today, April 16th, 2019, https://www.knoxtntoday.com/george-r-dempster-the-later-years/ .
[7] Tumblin, J.C. Fountain City: People Who Made a Difference: The History of Knoxville’s most fiercely independent community in the stories of 56 extraordinary citizens. Knoxville: Tennessee. Celtic Cat Publishing. 2016. 175.
[8] Tumblin, J.C. Fountain City: People Who Made a Difference: The History of Knoxville’s most fiercely independent community in the stories of 56 extraordinary citizens. Knoxville: Tennessee. Celtic Cat Publishing. 2016. 175 to 176.
[9] Btrmarketing.”The History of the Roll of Garbage Truck”, BTR, February 2nd, 2019, https://bigtruckrental.com/blog/roll-off-garbage-truck-rental-service/roll-off-history/ .
[10] Classic Refuse Trucks. “Dempster Dinosaur”. January 7th, 2006 (updated August 29th, 2021), https://www.classicrefusetrucks.com/albums/DE/DE05.html .
[11] Tumblin, J.C. Fountain City: People Who Made a Difference: The History of Knoxville’s most fiercely independent community in the stories of 56 extraordinary citizens. Knoxville: Tennessee. Celtic Cat Publishing. 2016. 177.
[12] Parkinson, Robert.”Georgeg Roby Dempster”, Tennessee Encyclopedia, The Tennessee Historical Society, October 8th, 2017, https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/george-roby-dempster/ .; Tumblin, J.C. Fountain City: People Who Made a Difference: The History of Knoxville’s most fiercely independent community in the stories of 56 extraordinary citizens. Knoxville: Tennessee. Celtic Cat Publishing. 2016. 177.
[13] Tumblin, J.C. Fountain City: People Who Made a Difference: The History of Knoxville’s most fiercely independent community in the stories of 56 extraordinary citizens. Knoxville: Tennessee. Celtic Cat Publishing. 2016. 176.
[14] Tumblin, J.C. “Fountain Citians Who Made a Difference: George R. Dempster (1887-1964)”.www.fountaincitynhistory.info, The Wayback Machine, 2002, https://web.archive.org/web/20110101120335/http://www.fountaincitytnhistory.info/People7-Dempster.htm.
