Robert Dunbar (December 13, 1812 – September 18, 1890) was a mechanical engineer. He designed the first steam-powered

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

in the world and the majority of the first grain elevators in Buffalo,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and Canada.

Early life

Dunbar was born in

Carnbee, Scotland Carnbee is a village and rural parish in the inland part of the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. Location It lies to the north of Anstruther and Pittenweem. There is a very small village and the church (dating from 1793) stands amid agricultural l ...

. His birth is recorded as December 13, 1812. His father was William Dunbar, a mechanical engineer, came from a family line of engineers. Dunbar immigrated with his family to

Pickering, Ontario Pickering (2021 population 99,186) is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada, immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. Beginning in the 1770s, the area was settled by primarily ethnic British colonists. An increase in population occurre ...

, while a boy of 12. He went to high school and college in Canada. He took up an interest in mechanics and learned mechanical engineering.

Career

Dunbar took charge of the ship yard at Niagara, Ontario, in 1832. He renovated the docks and its machinery. Dunbar later settled in

Black Rock, Buffalo, New York Black Rock, once an independent municipality, is now a neighborhood of the northwest section of the city of Buffalo, New York. In the 1820s, Black Rock was the rival of Buffalo for the terminus of the Erie Canal, but Buffalo, with its larger har ...

, in 1834. He associated himself with Charles W. Evans and constructed flourmills. With financing by entrepreneur

Joseph Dart Joseph Dart (April 30, 1799 – September 28, 1879) was an American businessman and entrepreneur associated with the grain industry. Following construction of the Erie Canal, he is credited with conceiving the machine-powered grain elevator t ...

, Dunbar designed and built at Buffalo in 1842 the first steam-powered grain elevator in the world. The invention had a profound effect on Buffalo and the movement of grains on the Great Lakes and the world: He built nearly all the grain elevators in Buffalo which put the city as one of the largest grain markets in the United States. Dunbar built and designed the majority of the first grain elevators in Canada and

. He constructed other grain elevators in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

and

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

in England and in Odessa, Russia. He constructed grain elevators in many other grain shipping ports around the world. Dunbar's grain elevator innovations are still in use. Dunbar was senior partner in a firm called Robert Dunbar & Son. They were grain elevator architects, engineers, and contractors. Dunbar became a wealthy man because of his innovations in grain elevators.

Family

Dunbar married Sarah M. Howell on August 26, 1840. Two of his sons were William J. Dunbar and Robert Dunbar. A third son, George H. Dunbar, became proprietor of The Eagle Iron Works of Buffalo. He also had two daughters, Mary G. Dunbar and Emma G. Dunbar.

Death

Dunbar died September 18, 1890.

Legacy

He is known as "the father of the great grain elevator system."

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunbar, Robert 1812 births 1890 deaths Canadian inventors Canadian mechanical engineers Scottish inventors Scottish mechanical engineers