There is no single person credited with inventing the ; instead, it evolved over centuries through various cultural and technological iterations. While folk legends point to figures like Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Edison
Long before it was called a "Lazy Susan," the device was known as a . In 18th-century England and France, these were tiered rotating trays or small tables designed to let diners serve themselves without the presence of servants.
(1950s): An engineer and soy sauce manufacturer who is credited with the modern redesign using ball bearings. He reintroduced the device in popular San Francisco Chinese restaurants like Johnny Kan's, which led to its global ubiquity in Chinese dining. Dr. Wu Lien-Teh who invented lazy susan
The most popular theory credits Thomas Jefferson with an early version. In the late 18th century, Jefferson’s daughter complained of being served last at the dinner table. To solve this, Jefferson supposedly devised a “dumbwaiter”—a revolving serving stand placed in the center of the table, allowing guests to help themselves. While Jefferson’s invention was similar in concept, it wasn’t called a Lazy Susan.
A popular legend claims Jefferson invented the device for his daughter, Susan, who complained of being served last. However, Jefferson had no daughter named Susan, making this story likely fiction. He did, however, popularize the "dumbwaiter" concept at Monticello. There is no single person credited with inventing
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Many widely cited stories about the invention are considered legends rather than historical facts: (1950s): An engineer and soy sauce manufacturer who
Another plausible origin is purely commercial: In the 1910s and 1920s, several companies began selling “revolving servers” or “lazy susans” as labor-saving devices for housewives—eliminating the need to reach across the table. The term may have been a catchy marketing phrase, combining “lazy” (since the server does the work of passing dishes) with the common female name “Susan.”
The name “Lazy Susan” appears to have emerged much later, around the early 20th century. One widely cited story points to an inventor named from New Jersey, who patented a “revolving server” in 1917. He reportedly named it after his daughter, Susan, though historical evidence for the daughter’s existence is thin. Around the same time, a Van Schooneveld also marketed a “Lazy Susan” for corner cupboards.
, historians consider its origins to be a combination of European furniture evolution and individual 19th-century patents. Verified Historical Inventors
The invention of the is a mystery with no single creator to claim the crown . Instead, its history is a blend of 18th-century European furniture, American folk legends, and a 20th-century resurgence in Chinese-American dining. The Early "Dumbwaiter" Origins (1700s)
