Anna Bissell was the first female CEO of the bissell company in the year of 1889. Anna was born in Canada and got married at the age of 19 to Melville Bisell. The Bissell company sold Vaccums & Sweepers and after her husband's death in 1889, Anna went on to take over the company Bissell company. The Bisell Company was successful and she was selling internationally. Formally Anna moved down with her family to Wisconsin and became a school teacher at the age of 16. Married at age 19, and then she moved to Michigan and became a partner of her husband's Crockery business. Melville's invention of a sweeper which collected hair and debris was an upgrade from the previously made vaccums and sweepers. Her products started selling in 1876, and she started traveling from town to town to sell her sweepers. Her product became available in the Wanamaker's which was one of the very first department stores. The Bissell factory was built in the early 1800's and was destroyed in 1884 by a fire, but soonly after the business was back in business when Anna had bank loans to rebuild it. Anna was a widower and she had five children. The Bissell company was immensely popular in the U.S with women and also Queen Victoria from England also was interested in the the Bissell and wanted her palace to be bisselled every week.