T. F. Secor
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Theodosius Fowler Secor (March 22, 1808April 29, 1901) was an American
marine engineer Marine engineering is the engineering of boats, ships, submarines, and any other marine vessel. Here it is also taken to include the engineering of other ocean systems and structures – referred to in certain academic and professional circl ...
. Secor co-founded T. F. Secor & Co. in New York in 1838 (better known by its later name, the Morgan Iron Works), which was one of the leading American marine engineering facilities of its day. In 1850, he sold his stake in the company to his erstwhile partner, Charles Morgan, in order to go into partnership with
Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...
in the purchase of another leading New York marine engineering facility, the
Allaire Iron Works The Allaire Iron Works was a leading 19th-century American marine engineering company based in New York City. Founded in 1816 by engineer and philanthropist James P. Allaire, the Allaire Works was one of the world's first companies dedicated to the ...
. Under Secor's management, T. F. Secor & Co., and later the Allaire Works, produced the engines for some of the largest and fastest steamers of their day, from early
Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
"crack" boats such as ''Troy'' and to the later "palace" steamers ''New World'' and ''Drew''. The Allaire Works under his leadership also built the engines for many oceangoing vessels, and 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 th ...
, built the engines for seven
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
warships. Secor continued as manager of the Allaire Works until its closure in 1867 during the long postwar slump, when he retired from business. The value of his estate at the time of his death in 1901 was in excess of $1,000,000 ().


Life and career

Theodosius Fowler Secor was born on March 22, 1808, in
Eastchester, New York Eastchester is a town in southern Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was over 34,641 at the 2020 United States census over 32,363 at the 2010 census. There are two villages within the town: Bronxville and Tuckahoe. The ...
, to Oliver Secord, a carpenter, millwright and farmer, and his wife Jane (née Pease); Theodosius was the eldest of a number of children. The Secor side of the family had
French Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Bez ...
roots, having been established in the United States through one of two brothers who settled in
New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...
, in 1666.


Education and early career

Secor's family moved to New York City when he was a boy, where he received a "fair" education. As the family was of limited means, Secor left school at fourteen years of age to become an employee of a grocery store. At the age of sixteen, he secured a machinist's apprenticeship at the
Allaire Iron Works The Allaire Iron Works was a leading 19th-century American marine engineering company based in New York City. Founded in 1816 by engineer and philanthropist James P. Allaire, the Allaire Works was one of the world's first companies dedicated to the ...
, a leading New York marine steam engineering works. During his apprenticeship, which lasted five years, he showed sufficient aptitude to be given supervision of important jobs, such as assembly of marine engines on the company's wharves. Soon after completing his training, he was dispatched by the company to
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
, to oversee the assembly of steam engines there, and then to
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
,
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
for the assembly of engines and machinery for a number of
sugar mill A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw or white sugar. The term is also used to refer to the equipment that crushes the sticks of sugar cane to extract the juice. Processing There are a number of steps in pro ...
s. These early experiences gave Secor many contacts with steamboat owners, captains and engineers, as well as planters and manufacturers, which he would later turn to his advantage.


T. F. Secor & Co.

In September 1836, Secor established his own small business, a workshop in Washington Street, near Morris Street, in New York City. In 1838, he formed a partnership with future transport magnate Charles Morgan and William K. Caulkin to co-found the marine engineering firm of T. F. Secor & Co at the foot of Ninth Street, New York. The firm quickly established itself as one of the city's leading marine engine manufacturers, constructing engines for some of the "crack" boats of the 1840s, such as ''Troy'', Baughman 1968. p. 242. and the mammoth steamer ''New World'', which were among the fastest and most popular
Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
steamboats then in service. From an early date, Secor is also said to have built all the engines, and done all the repair work, for
Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...
's growing fleet of steamers. By 1846, the company had outgrown its plant to such an extent that the owners purchased the entire city block bounded by Ninth and Tenth Streets, Avenue D and the
East River The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Queens ...
to expand their operations.Baughman 1968. p. 55. At its peak, the company employed between 500 and 700 men.Bishop 1868. pp
130–131


Allaire Iron Works

In 1850, Secor sold his holdings in T. F. Secor & Co. to Morgan, who renamed the plant the Morgan Iron Works. Secor subsequently joined forces with Cornelius Vanderbilt to acquire the Allaire Works—where Secor had served his apprenticeship—the two men reportedly taking an equal stake in the company. Secor became the plant's manager, and under his supervision, engines for some of the most celebrated steam vessels of the era were produced, including those for ''St. John'', ''Dean Richmond'' and ''Drew'', the largest Hudson River steamboats of their day.


American Civil War

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 th ...
, the Allaire Works under Secor's supervision produced the engines for seven United States Navy warships, among them, engines for two gunboats of the early class and two for the later ''Sassacus'' class. The engines of the former, which were designed by the navy's chief engineer Benjamin F. Isherwood, were heavily criticized for their lack of speed, and Isherwood ensured the engines for the latter class would be much more powerful. The largest engines built for the navy by the Allaire Works during the war were those for the ironclad and the
screw frigate Steam frigates (including screw frigates) and the smaller steam corvettes, steam sloops, steam gunboats and steam schooners, were steam-powered warships that were not meant to stand in the line of battle. There were some exceptions like for exam ...
. ''Puritan'', however, was still under construction by the war's end and was consequently never completed,Silverstone 2016. p. 9. while the engines of ''Madawaska'', designed by
John Ericsson John Ericsson (born Johan Ericsson; July 31, 1803 – March 8, 1889) was a Swedish-American inventor. He was active in England and the United States. Ericsson collaborated on the design of the railroad steam locomotive ''Novelty'', which com ...
and intended to make her the fastest ship afloat, proved a failure.Silverstone 2016. p. 19. A number of merchant vessels engined by the Allaire Works were also pressed into service by the navy during the war. After the war, a severe and prolonged shipbuilding slump, caused by the oversupply of shipping produced during the conflict, forced many New York shipbuilders and marine engine manufacturers out of business, including the Allaire Works,Swann 1965. pp. 23–26. which liquidated its assets in 1867. Secor, though not yet sixty years of age, subsequently went into retirement.


Personal details

Secor's first marriage, on April 13, 1829, was to Mary E. Curtis of
Stratford, Connecticut Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is situated on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. Stratford is in the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was settled ...
, daughter of a shoe manufacturer. The couple had several children together. After Mary's death in 1869, Secor was married a second time, on November 18, 1875, to Sarah M. Husted, daughter of Augustus W. Husted, "a representative of one of the oldest families in
Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
", Connecticut. In his retirement, Secor moved to Greenwich, where he purchased and made improvements to the A. W. Husted homestead. Secor's character was described as "steadfast and irreproachable", and he was said to be "gentle and approachable" in manner. Though affiliated with the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
, he was "in no sense a politician". Secor's health began to fail in his final year, and after an illness of about three months, he died at the age of 93 in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York, on April 29, 1901; he is said to have retained his "strong intellect" until a few days before the end. Secor outlived all his siblings, and all his children except one, Mrs Sarah Jane Miller; he was also survived by his second wife. He left an estate valued in excess of $1,000,000 (). He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, New York.


Footnotes


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Secor, Theodosius Fowler 1808 births 1901 deaths American marine engineers Businesspeople from New York City New York (state) Democrats People from Eastchester, New York People of New York (state) in the American Civil War 19th-century American businesspeople