:For the Louisiana political commentator, see ''
Ed Renwick
Edward Francis Renwick (June 26, 1938 – March 6, 2020), was an American political scientist who was Professor Emeritus of Political Science and the former Director of the Institute of Politics at Loyola University New Orleans.
Career
Renwick wa ...
''.
Edward Sabine Renwick (1823–1912) was an American mechanical engineer, inventor and patent expert.
Early life
Renwick lost most of his eyesight while working as a patent examiner. He worked for a time in
Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...
as an
ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain.
The ironmaster was usually a large ...
, but failed.
Family connections
His father,
James Renwick, Sr., was a Professor of chemistry and physics at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. His mother, Margaret, was a member of the Brevoort family of
New York.
One brother,
James Renwick, Jr., was a leading US architect, designer of
St. Patrick's Cathedral,
Grace Church,
Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...
, the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
and the
Croton Aqueduct
The Croton Aqueduct or Old Croton Aqueduct was a large and complex water distribution system constructed for New York City between 1837 and 1842. The great aqueducts, which were among the first in the United States, carried water by gravity fro ...
. The other, Henry, was a former steamboat inspector and co-author with his father. His grandmother Jean Jeffrey/Jeannie Jaffray of
Lochmaben
Lochmaben ( Gaelic: ''Loch Mhabain'') is a small town and civil parish in Scotland, and site of a castle. It lies west of Lockerbie, in Dumfries and Galloway. By the 12th century the Bruce family had become the local landowners and, in the 14th ...
was the ''Blue-Eyed Lassie'' mentioned in
Robert Burns' poem ''I gaed a waefu' gate yestreen''.
Robert Burns Country: I Gaed A Waefu' Gate Yestreen:
at www.robertburns.org Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842).
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), he commanded ' during the ...
was an uncle of his.
Edward Renwick married Elizabeth Anne Brevoort in 1862.
Inventions
Renwick formulated at least 25 inventions over his lifetime, including a combination chicken brooder and incubator, and a self-binding reaping machine. He sued Cyrus McCormick
Cyrus Hall McCormick (February 15, 1809 – May 13, 1884) was an American inventor and businessman who founded the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which later became part of the International Harvester Company in 1902. Originally from the ...
over royalties, but was awarded none.
His patent dates stretch from 1850 (age 27) to 1904 (age 81).
Great Eastern
One of his greatest achievements was the designing and supervising, with his brother Henry, of a repairing of a break in the bilge of the Great Eastern steamship with a floating caisson, clamped to the hull. It was long by wide and deep.
Later life
He later settled in Millburn, New Jersey
Millburn is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 20,149, reflecting an increase of 384 (+1.9%) from the 19,765 counted in the 2000 Census, which had ...
in 1867. He built a large Victorian mansion at 140 Old Short Hills Road which stood until 2001. He died there in 1912 at the age of 89.
Notes
Sources
Renwick Family Letters and Manuscripts 1794-1916
A History of Millburn Township by Marian Meisner
Chapter XVIII
History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications
Great Eastern by Bill Glover
* James Dugan, ''The Great Iron Ship'', 1953 , pgs 149-155
* Black, George Fraser, ''Scotland's Mark on America'', 1921
Resources
*
* Renwick, Edward S. (1893).
Patentable invention
' ( PDF). Rochester, N.Y. 168 pages.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renwick, Edward S.
American mechanical engineers
19th-century American inventors
1823 births
1912 deaths