Robert R. Montgomery (September 8, 1843 – March 7, 1930) of Decatur, IllinoisCPL Robert R. Montgomery was an American inventor and Civil War veteran who created the fly swatter in 1899 which was later approved for a patent in 1900. Prior to that, flies were usually killed with folded newspapers.FLY-KILLER; ROBERT R. MONTGOMERY;Patent number: 640790;Filing date: Oct 13, 1899;Issue date: Jan 9, 1900Official gazette of the United States Patent Office, Volume 90, Part 1; By United States. Patent OfficeNew York Times:JOHN L. BENNETT, BEER CAN PIONEER; Inventor Dies--Also Made a Better Fly Swatter;June 7, 1966 Montgomery sold his patent to John L. Bennett, a wealthy inventor and industrialist, who subsequently improved on Montgomery's design.
References