Samuel Vaughan Merrick (1801–1870) was a 19th-century American manufacturer, and the first president of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

Biography

Born near

Hallowell, Maine Hallowell is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,570 at the 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Hallowell is noted for its culture and old architecture. Hallowell is included in the Augusta, Maine, micropolita ...

, on May 4, 1801, Merrick left school 1816 and moved to

Philadelphia 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 ...

, where he worked for his merchant uncle John Vaughan. He subsequently studied

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, and in 1824 founded, with scientist William Keating, The

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...

of the State of Pennsylvania for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, of which he was President from 1832 until 1854. He also established the firm of Merrick and Agnew, which manufactured fire engines. He married Sarah Thomas on December 25, 1823 and they had one son. In 1836, Merrick established the Southwark Iron Foundry, which became one of the most advanced manufacturing plants of its kind in this country. Operated by the firm of Merrick & Towne (later renamed Merrick & Sons), the foundry built the engines for the USS ''Mississippi''. Merrick took a deep interest in public affairs and was instrumental to the introduction of illuminating gas into Philadelphia, being the chairman of a Committee of the Common Council that reported on the benefits of gaslighting. He also served as the first president of the

, which he had advocated as a means to connect Philadelphia to the west, and was also president of the

Sunbury and Erie Railroad Sunbury may refer to: Australia *Sunbury, Victoria **Sunbury Downs College **Sunbury Pop Festival (1972-1975) ** Sunbury wine region Barbados * Sunbury, Barbados Canada *Sunbury County, New Brunswick *Sunbury County, Nova Scotia (1765-1784), c ...

(later part of the PRR) and the

Catawissa Railroad The Catawissa Railroad was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania between 1860 and 1953. For most of its lifespan it was leased by the Reading Company, and was subsequently merged into the Reading. History The original company was chartered as ...

(later part of the

Reading Railroad The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly calle ...

). Merrick was a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

from 1833 until his death. Merrick maintained a residence in

Haddon Township, New Jersey Haddon Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 15,407, an increase of 700 (+4.8%) from the 2010 census count of 14,707, in turn reflecting an increase of 56 (+0 ...

. He died in Philadelphia on August 18, 1870.

Footnotes

References

* * * * 1801 births 1870 deaths People from Haddon Township, New Jersey People from Kennebec County, Maine Pennsylvania Railroad people 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1800s-stub