Frederick Graff (27 August 1775 – 13 April 1847) was an American

hydraulic engineer Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the mov ...

who designed and built the

Fairmount Water Works The Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was Philadelphia's second municipal waterworks. Designed in 1812 by Frederick Graff and built between 1812 and 1872, it operated until 1909, winning praise for its design and becoming a popu ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and invented the

fire hydrant A fire hydrant, waterplug, or firecock (archaic) is a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply. It is a component of active fire protection. Underground fire hydrants have been used in Europe and Asia since at least t ...

Biography

Graff was son to Jacob Graff, Jr., a bricklayer who is noted for renting out the second floor of his house to

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

where he wrote the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

in 1776. Graff began his career as a carpenter but suffered a severe knee injury with a hatchet which left him unable to work as a carpenter and lame for the rest of his life. In 1799, he was hired by

Benjamin Henry Latrobe Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe (May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820) was an Anglo-American neoclassical architect who emigrated to the United States. He was one of the first formally trained, professional architects in the new United States, draw ...

as a

draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman or drafting technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or plans for ...

and worked his way up to clerk and superintendent of works. In 1800, Graff was placed in charge of the design and building of the Branch Bank of Deposit in Norfolk, Virginia. Graff was also employed as engineer of the

Santee Canal The Santee Canal was one of the earliest canals built in the United States. It was built to provide a direct water route between Charleston and Columbia, the new South Carolina state capital. It was named to the National Register of Historic Plac ...

in South Carolina. He returned to Philadelphia and on April 1, 1805, was assigned as superintendent and engineer of the construction of the first water works in Philadelphia in Centre Square, the site of the current day

Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the offices of the Mayor of Philadelphia. ...

. On 1 April 1805, he was elected superintendent and engineer of the works, but they were determined to be inadequate after several years of usage. John Rubens Smith, A View of Fairmount and the Water-Works (1837)

John Rubens Smith, A View of Fairmount and the Water-Works (1837)

In 1811 Graff recommended Fairmount as the proper place for the water works, and was placed in charge of the construction. At this time, the pipes were made of wood, but Graff devised an iron-pipe system to be used instead. These were the first large size iron pipes used in the United States. The Philadelphia waterworks was the first large-scale, municipal waterworks in the United States. Graff's designs of fire plugs and stopcocks were sent to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and deemed to be superior to the ones used in England. In 1822, when the basic system was complete, the city water committee sent him a resolution of thanks, and he was presented with a silver vase. In 1828 he received another award from the water committee “as a testimonial of respect for his talents and zeal effectually displayed in overcoming unforeseen difficulties encountered in the construction of the northeast reservoir at Fairmount". His experience and ability became acknowledged throughout the country, and he supplied detailed information to aid in the development of 37 other waterworks in the United States, including those in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. By 1842, over 113 miles of water mains had been laid. He was engaged for 42 years in the service of the city of Philadelphia, and a monument to his memory was erected on the grounds of the

. Graff invented the modern fire hydrant in 1801. His design had a hose-faucet outlet on a cylinder with a valve at the top. It is believed he held the patent for invention of the fire hydrant but this cannot be confirmed since the

U.S. Patent Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...

burned down in 1836 and many records were destroyed. He died on April 13, 1847 and was interred at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

. His son, Frederic Graff, Jr., succeeded him as chief engineer of the Philadelphia water works.

Citations

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graff, Frederick 1775 births 1847 deaths 19th-century American engineers 19th-century American inventors American canal engineers American carpenters American draughtsmen Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Engineers from Pennsylvania Hydraulic engineers People from Philadelphia