John Emery Harriman, Jr. (June 3, 1869 — May 18, 1916) was an American

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

and inventor.

Biography

Harriman was born in 1869 in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

, to John Emery Harriman, Sr., a Civil War veteran of the

6th Massachusetts Regiment The 6th Massachusetts Regiment also known as the 4th Continental Regiment was raised on April 23, 1775, under Colonel John Nixon outside of Boston, Massachusetts. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Bunker Hill, New York Campaign, B ...

, and Sarah Jane Wheeler Harriman. His paternal family went back eight generations to 1622, when the Harrimans left Rowley, Yorkshire, England. He created the Harriman Aeromobile Company and designed a flying machine in 1902. He also designed an

aerocar Aerocar International's Aerocar (often called the Taylor Aerocar) was an American roadable aircraft designed and built by Moulton Taylor in Longview, Washington in 1949. Although six examples were made, it never entered large-scale production. I ...

in 1906, which was patented in 1910, but was never manufactured. He also invented a rotary steam engine. He married Julia C. Horther, ex-wife of artist Hiram Peabody Flagg,Artwork by Hiram Peabody Flagg
/ref> on April 22, 1897. He died at his home in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

, aged 46, after a brief illness.

Publications

''A flying machine of safety, stability, adaptability: the Harriman type aeromobile and aerocar''

References

1869 births 1916 deaths People from Somerville, Massachusetts American aviation pioneers American people of English descent {{Aviation-bio-stub