Percy Adamson (April 10, 1889 – April 7, 1969) was an early twentieth-century British-born American inventor and soccer player. He is the inventor of lastex,Babcock, Glenn D. (1966). History of the United States Rubber Company : A Case Study in Corporation Management. Bloomington, IN: Bureau of Business Research. p. 325–326. . "Percy Adamson's Idea: Percy Adamson, born in the heart of the English textile industry, had come to this country in 1910 as the sales agent for several English tex¬ tile companies. He conceived the idea of making a fine elastic yarn by wrapping silk, cotton, wool, or any other nonelastic fibrous thread around an elastic core and using the resulting yarn in a knitting machine.21 When he found that a rubber thread fine enough for his purpose could be made by United States Rubber by extruding an elastic core from latex, he applied for a patent. (The extruding invention had been developed and patented by Ernest Hopkinson and W. A. Gibbons.) During the early part of 1930, Adamson assigned his rights under the patent to the rubber company, which then set about providing adequate manufacturing facilities. Adamson was appointed exclusive selling agent with complete control of distribution of Lastex (the name of the new product was coined from the words 'elastic' and 'textile')." and was captain of the Brooklyn Field Club when it won the 1914 National Challenge Cup.Wangerin, David (2011). Distant Corners : American Soccer's History of Missed Opportunities and Lost Causes. Philadelphia : Temple University Press. p. 54. . "Creighton, the referee, tried to keep everything under control: he was said to have warned Field Club’s center-forward Percy Adamson about 'rough playing' four times in the first five minutes. Aware of the threat posed by Adamson and Millar, Celtic rolled up their sleeves. One report claimed [...] that Dave Flanagan, 'a diminutive but fearless back,' was responsible for 'blocking' Millar and Adamson 'so hard time after time that they threatened to mix matters with him and had to be held back by their team mates.' [...] Millar, though not scoring himself, played his usual influential role: __TOC__ Early life and career Born in Adlington, Lancashire on April 10, 1889,"United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKV7-7QFV : Sun Mar 29 16:04:07 UTC 2026), Entry for Percy Adamson and Ruth Adamson, 25 Apr 1942. Adamson was one of five children—five boys and one girl—born to James and Eliza Ann Adamson. In the summer of 1910, the Adamsons emigrated to the United States. Following a one-week voyage aboard the , the family disembarked at Ellis Island on July 31."New York, Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1925", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JJJP-32K : Fri May 15 05:18:41 UTC 2026), Entry for Percy Adamson and Thomas Adamson, 31 July 1910.
By November of that year, Adamson was playing with the Brooklyn Field Club,Brooklyn Protests Ansonia Game and in the spring of 1912, he filed his declaration of intent to become a naturalized U.S. citizen."New York, U.S. District and Circuit Court Naturalization Records, 1824-1991", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6TMC-QZF6 : Tue Apr 15 06:40:16 UTC 2025), Entry for Percy Adamson, 26 Sep 1912.
On May 16, 1914, Adamson scored the first goal in the final of the 1914 National Challenge Cup which was the first time this tournament was held.The US Open Cup Final: 1914-2010 In September 1916, while living in Sheepshead Bay, New York he was still listed with the Brooklyn Field Club.Full List of Registered Amateur Players: February 16, 1916
In September 1914, he became the head coach of the Columbia University soccer team.Columbia Engages Soccer Coach
Personal life From August 1914 until his death, Adamson was married to fellow British expat Lillian Dutton."United States, Census, 1930", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4GN-DFZ : Thu Jan 16 20:12:29 UTC 2025), Entry for Percy Adamson and Lillian Adamson, 1930. The marriage produced two children, a son and daughter.
Adamson died, aged 79, on April 7, 1969, three days before his 80th birthday, at his home in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. He was survived by his wife and two children.
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