Amos Whitney (October 8, 1832 – August 5, 1920) was a
mechanical engineer
Mechanical may refer to:
Machine
* Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement
* Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...
and
inventor who co-founded the
Pratt & Whitney company. He was a member of the prominent
Whitney family
The Whitney family is an American family notable for their business enterprises, social prominence, wealth and philanthropy, founded by John Whitney (1592–1673), who came from London, England to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635. The historic fa ...
.
He was born in
Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddeford Po ...
to Aaron and Rebecca (Perkins) Whitney
and educated at the common schools in
Saccarappa, Maine and
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...
. He moved at the age of 14 with his parents to
Lawrence, Massachusetts and apprenticed at the
Essex Machine Company.
In 1852, he moved to
Hartford, Connecticut and worked at the
Colt Armory
The Colt Armory is a historic factory complex for the manufacture of firearms, created by Samuel Colt. It is located in Hartford, Connecticut along the Connecticut River, and as of 2008 is part of the Coltsville Historic District, named a National ...
. At Colt, he met
Francis A. Pratt who soon left to become superintendent at the Phoenix Iron Works and took Whitney with him. While working at Phoenix Iron Works, Whitney designed the
Lincoln milling machine.
In 1860, while still working at the Phoenix Iron Works, Pratt and Whitney formed the
Pratt & Whitney company. Their first product was a thread winder for the
Willimantic Linen Company. They went on to manufacture machine tools for the manufacture of guns, sewing machines, bicycles and typewriters. The manufacturing of gun making machinery rapidly increased during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
.
In 1893, Whitney was made vice-president of the company and worked as president from 1898 to 1901. The company was acquired by the Niles-Bement-Pond Company and Whitney remained as one of the directors. He also worked as president and director of the Gray Telephone Pay Station Company, director of the Pratt & Cady Co., director in the Co-operative Savings Bank
[ and as treasurer of Whitney Manufacturing Company which was organized by his son Clarence.][
He died on August 5, 1920 in Poland Spring, Maine][ and was interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut.
]
See also
*Whitney family
The Whitney family is an American family notable for their business enterprises, social prominence, wealth and philanthropy, founded by John Whitney (1592–1673), who came from London, England to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635. The historic fa ...
References
External links
Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Amos
1832 births
1920 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
19th-century American inventors
American Civil War industrialists
American company founders
American mechanical engineers
Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut)
Businesspeople from Hartford, Connecticut
Machine tool builders
People from Biddeford, Maine