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Francis Ashbury Pratt (February 15, 1827 – February 10, 1902) was an American
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 ...
,
inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an i ...
, and co-founder of
Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military avia ...
.


Biography

Pratt was born in
Peru, New York Peru is a town in Clinton County in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 6,772 at the 2020 census. The town was so named for its views of the Adirondack Mountains to the west and the farmlands throughout the town, resembling scenery fo ...
. His parents moved the family to
Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...
, when he was eight years old. He was educated in Lowell and apprenticed in a machine shop. In 1848, he moved to Gloucester, New Jersey, and worked for Gloucester Machine Works as a journeyman and contractor. In 1852, Pratt moved to
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
, to work at
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 ...
. It was at Colt that he met
Amos Whitney Amos Whitney (October 8, 1832 – August 5, 1920) was a mechanical engineer and inventor who co-founded the Pratt & Whitney company. He was a member of the prominent Whitney family. He was born in Biddeford, Maine to Aaron and Rebecca (Per ...
. Pratt soon left Colt to work at Phoenix Iron Works and brought Whitney along with him. While still working at Phoenix Iron Works, he designed a
milling machine Milling is the process of machining using rotary cutters to remove material by advancing a cutter into a workpiece. This may be done by varying direction on one or several axes, cutter head speed, and pressure. Milling covers a wide variety of d ...
for George S. Lincoln & Company of
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
, which became the Lincoln miller, in some ways perhaps the most important American
machine tool A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, boring, grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some sort of tool that does the cutting or shaping. All ...
of the late 19th century. Over 150,000 machines were built on this form factor (by many firms)., pp
165–166
Pratt cofounded the
Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military avia ...
company along with Amos Whitney in 1860. Their first product was a thread winder for the Willimantic Linen Company. They went on to manufacture machine tools, tools for the makers of sewing machines, and gun making machinery for use by the
Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to t ...
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 ...
. He is credited with being first to permit production of fine gear work. Pratt promoted
interchangeable parts Interchangeable parts are parts (wikt:component#Noun, components) that are identical for practical purposes. They are made to specifications that ensure that they are so nearly identical that they will fit into any assembly of the same type. One su ...
and the adoption of a standard system for gages for the United States and Europe. Among several machine-tool patents, his most important was for planing metal granted on July 28, 1869. He served as a member of the board of water commissioners for the city of Hartford for four years. He was a director of the Hartford board of trade and the Pratt & Cady company. He served as president and director of the Electric Generator Company. He was a member of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via " continuing ...
. He died in Hartford, Connecticut and was interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery.


References


Bibliography

*


External links


Picture of Francis Pratt

Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems website

Francis Pratt cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Francis A. 1827 births 1902 deaths 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 Lowell, Massachusetts People from Peru, New York