Amos Whitney (October 8, 1832 – August 5, 1920) was a

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 of ...

and inventor who co-founded the Pratt & Whitney company. He was a member of the prominent

Whitney family The Whitney family is an American family notable for their business enterprises, social prominence, wealth and philanthropy, founded by John Whitney (1592–1673), who came from London, England to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635. The historic fa ...

. He was born in

Biddeford, Maine Biddeford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddeford Po ...

to Aaron and Rebecca (Perkins) Whitney and educated at the common schools in Saccarappa, Maine and

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

. He moved at the age of 14 with his parents to Lawrence, Massachusetts and apprenticed at the Essex Machine Company. In 1852, he moved to Hartford, Connecticut and worked at the

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 ...

. At Colt, he met Francis A. Pratt who soon left to become superintendent at the Phoenix Iron Works and took Whitney with him. While working at Phoenix Iron Works, Whitney designed the Lincoln milling machine. In 1860, while still working at the Phoenix Iron Works, Pratt and Whitney formed the Pratt & Whitney company. Their first product was a thread winder for the Willimantic Linen Company. They went on to manufacture machine tools for the manufacture of guns, sewing machines, bicycles and typewriters. The manufacturing of gun making machinery rapidly increased 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 ...

. In 1893, Whitney was made vice-president of the company and worked as president from 1898 to 1901. The company was acquired by the Niles-Bement-Pond Company and Whitney remained as one of the directors. He also worked as president and director of the Gray Telephone Pay Station Company, director of the Pratt & Cady Co., director in the Co-operative Savings Bank and as treasurer of Whitney Manufacturing Company which was organized by his son Clarence. He died on August 5, 1920 in Poland Spring, Maine and was interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut. Amos Whitney gravestone

References

External links

Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Amos 1832 births 1920 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 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 Biddeford, Maine

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External links