Henry Voigt
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Henry Voigt or Henry Voight (1738–1814) was a
clockmaker A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly to ...
, mathematical instrument maker, machine and steam engine builder, and Chief Coiner of the first
United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...
. He operated a wire mill in Reading Pennsylvania and repaired clocks and watches for
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
, who knew him well. In Philadelphia he participated in the development and production of the first practical steamboat with John Fitch that in 1790 that traveled in a commercial operation between 1,300 and 3,000 miles at speeds estimated from 6 to 8 miles per hour. He is credited with some of the first U.S. coin designs and participated in the 1770 production (as one of the "hands" or helpers) and 1806 repair and extension of David Rittenhouse's
Orrery An orrery is a mechanical model of the Solar System that illustrates or predicts the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons, usually according to the heliocentric model. It may also represent the relative sizes of these bodies ...
.


Watchmaking business

By 1775, Voigt had a watchmaking business in Philadelphia. He also claimed to have made himself useful during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
with some of his manufacturing machines. Fitch became acquainted with Voigt the watchmaker and was impressed by his ingenuity. Following several conversations in which Voigt took an interest in the scheme, he had made such sensible suggestions that Fitch offered Voigt a share in the Company if he would help him, which Voigt agreed to do. Some years later Fitch recorded a description of Voigt as follows: "Mr Voight is a Plain Dutchman who fears no man and will always speak his sentiments which has given offense to some of the Members of our Co., and some of them have effected to have a contemptible an opinion of his Philosophic abilities. It is true he is not a man of Letters nor mathematical Knowledge but for my own part I would depend on him more than a
Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
, a avidRittenhouse, an Ellicot, a
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Nancarrow, and Matlack imothy Matlock all combined, as he is a man of superior Mechanical abilities, and Very considerable Natural Philosophy; and as we have many of the first Geniuses in our Co., perhaps nearly equal to those I have mentioned, it is Certain that he has pointed out more defects than them all, and pointed out ways to remedy those defects, when consternation sat silent in every breast for the disaster."


Steam engine

Fitch had been convinced by Benjamin Franklin that Daniel Bernoulli's 1753 idea of a jet propulsion boat could be made practical utilizing a steam driven water pump. Although this appeared to be much simpler and superior to his original paddle driven design, Voigt induced him rightly to give up Franklin's suggestion and retain his original objectives. Bernoulli's idea was later taken up by
James Rumsey James Rumsey (1743 – December 21, 1792) was an American mechanical engineer chiefly known for exhibiting a boat propelled by machinery in 1787 on the Potomac River at Shepherdstown in present-day West Virginia before a crowd of local notables ...
, who was able to utilize the much simpler
Newcomen steam engine The atmospheric engine was invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, and is often referred to as the Newcomen fire engine (see below) or simply as a Newcomen engine. The engine was operated by condensing steam drawn into the cylinder, thereby creat ...
principles. However, he was only able to obtain speeds of about 3 miles per hour, whereas Fitch and Voigt ultimately obtained speeds of about 6 to 8 miles per hour. The first suggestion Voigt made was that they build a working model steam engine. When completed, it was the first steam engine that Fitch had ever seen. At this time, the advanced steam engines of James Watt and
Matthew Boulton Matthew Boulton (; 3 September 172817 August 1809) was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century, the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engin ...
could not be obtained on the American continent due to British export restrictions, so that much of the development of the steam engine (and in particular, the
marine steam engine A marine steam engine is a steam engine that is used to power a ship or boat. This article deals mainly with marine steam engines of the reciprocating type, which were in use from the inception of the steamboat in the early 19th century to their ...
) in the United States had to be developed independently.


New religion

Fitch and Voigt joined together with a few friends in 1790 to try and establish a new religion called the Universal Society, in which good works would be inspired by a sense of honor rather than by supernatural suspicions and fears. Although the group ended in failure, plans and debates were made during its short duration, concerning all fundamental questions of life that could be raised. Persons of all faiths were accepted, as well as agnostics and atheists.


Chief coiner

In 1791, Fitch and Voigt both applied for jobs in the new United States Mint, hoping that while they held these offices they would have time to perfect the steamboat. In their petition, Voigt was described as perfectly acquainted with all machinery and processes of coining, and capable of making the necessary instruments himself, having worked in a mint in Germany in his younger years, during which he had introduced valuable improvements. Fitch was unsuccessful in this endeavor, but Voigt obtained an appointment as Chief Coiner, a position he held for many years. Although Voigt was married with children, he had an illicit affair with a widow and landlady, Mrs. Mary Krafft. She gave birth to two children by him. Fitch, in an attempt to save Krafft's reputation, married her. This caused a break in the Fitch–Voigt partnership. Afterward, all of Fitch's attempts to build additional steamboats were unsuccessful. Fitch later described Voigt's participation. He claimed that the principal part of the original thoughts were his own, but that he could hardly propose anything that Voigt would not make some improvement upon, and that he had left the actual execution of production and fabrication to Voigt. "He is a man most ready of mechanical improvements of any on earth, and I am persuaded that I never could have completed the steamboat without him."


Surveying equipment

Several months before the
Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...
treaty was signed with France in 1803, Surveyor General Isaac Briggs (Isacc Briggs also patented a steamboat with William Longstreet on February 1, 1788. In 1807, a few days after Fulton's similarly successful experiment, they launched a boat against the current of the Savannah River, which traveled five miles an hour.) asked Andrew Ellicott for his transit and equal altitude instrument for the purpose of surveying the 828,000 square miles of territory. When Ellicott refused to sell, Briggs turned to Henry Voigt, who produced an instrument. Briggs used this Voigt instrument in 1804 to establish a
prime meridian A prime meridian is an arbitrary meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. Together, a prime meridian and its anti-meridian (the 180th meridian in a 360°-system) form a great ...
for the United States, running through Washington, D.C. and then took it to the new Territory. The resulting transit and equal altitude instrument, with the inscription "Henry Voigt Philadelphia" is now in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.


Orrery work

An orrery was purchased in 1771 from the Pennsylvania clockmaker and astronomer David Rittenhouse by
Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
. In an 1804 Trustee meeting, the Committee on the Orrery presented a contract "with Henry Voigt (or Voight)" of Philadelphia for which he was paid $500 in 1807 for the repair of the orrery. The clockmaker Henry Voigt had long been acquainted with Rittenhouse, who was the first director of the United States Mint in Philadelphia, where in 1792 Voigt became chief coiner and first superintendent of the mint. The following inscription is on the face of the orrery: "Invented by David Rittenhouse. A.D. 1768. Repaired and extended by Henry Voigt. A.D. 1806. Both of Philadelphia." On the back side is the name Thomas Voigt, Henry's son who is assumed to have assisted in the work under Henry's direction. "Henry Voigt died at Philadelphia, February 7, 1814 in the seventy first year of his age and was buried from the house of John Kessler Esq., corner of Fourth and Coates streets."''Life of John Fitch''. Westcott He is buried in Section L-204 & 205,
Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...
, Philadelphia.


See also

*
Half cent (United States coin) The half cent was the smallest denomination of United States coin ever minted. It was first minted in 1793 and last minted in 1857. It was minted with five different designs. History First authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792 on April 2, 1792 ...
*
James Rumsey James Rumsey (1743 – December 21, 1792) was an American mechanical engineer chiefly known for exhibiting a boat propelled by machinery in 1787 on the Potomac River at Shepherdstown in present-day West Virginia before a crowd of local notables ...
*
John Fitch (inventor) John Fitch (January 21, 1743 – July 2, 1798) was an American inventor, clockmaker, entrepreneur and engineer. He was most famous for operating the first steamboat service in the United States. The first boat, 45 feet long, was tested on the Del ...
* Steamboat *
United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...
History


References


External links


Review: ''Henry Voigt and others involved with America’s Early Coinage''
by Wayne Homren
Transit and Equal Altitude Instrument
Catalogue number: PH*311772 Smithsonian National Museum of American History {{DEFAULTSORT:Voigt, Henry 1744 births American inventors American clockmakers American currency designers 1814 deaths Coin designers