Elmer Berger (inventor)
American inventor
Elmer Clinton Adolph Berger (12 August 1891 – 15 July 1952) was an inventor born in St. Louis, Missouri who is credited with the invention of the automotive rear-view mirror in the early 1900s. Although racing enthusiast Ray Harroun experimented with one as early as 1911 while driving in the Indianapolis 500, it was Elmer Berger who obtained the first patent in 1921. Through his Berger and Company he manufactured the rear-view mirror for automobile use. He named his device the "COP-SPOTTER."
Thoroughbred racing
In the 1930s and 40s, Elmer Berger owned a prominent Thoroughbred racing stable in California. One of his colts, Boot and Spur, trained by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee William Molter, ran in the 1942 Kentucky Derby. Another stakes horse, Stitch Again, ran second in the 1947 Santa Anita Handicap.
Elmer Berger died in Los Angeles in 1952 and was interred in the Cathedral Mausoleum #1405 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Elmer Berger (inventor)” as american inventor. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as american inventor. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 9, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q5366486. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1891, 1952, 1911 and 1921.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Elmer Berger (inventor)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Elmer Berger (inventor) primary sources, Elmer Berger (inventor) archive and Elmer research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Elmer Berger (inventor)”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Elmer Berger (inventor)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.