On Jun. 3, 1861, James Edward Hanger becomes the first amputee of the American Civil War. By the end of the year, Mr. Hanger invented a revolutionary prosthetic leg called the ‘Hanger Limb’ for himself and began manufacturing the devices to aid fellow wounded soldiers.

In 1989, J. E. Hanger, Inc. of Washington, D.C., was purchased by Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. and became part of their wholly owned subsidiary, Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics.