Francis Wolle

American priest, inventor and phycologist (1817-1893).

Francis Wolle (December 17, 1817, in Jacobsburg, Pennsylvania – 1893, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) was an American priest of the Moravian Church, inventor and phycologist. Francis Wolle invented the first bag-making machine in 1851, forming the basis for the Union Bag and Paper Company. Wolle patented his "Machine for Making Bags of Paper" in 1852. In his words, "pieces of paper of suitable length are given out from a roll of the required width, cut off from the roll and otherwise suitably cut to the required shape, folded, their edges pasted and lapped, and formed into complete and perfect bag