Col. John Stevens, III (June 26, 1749 – March 6, 1838) was an American lawyer, engineer, and inventor who constructed the first U.S.

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

, first steam-powered ferry, and first U.S. commercial ferry service from his estate in Hoboken. He was influential in the creation of U.S.

patent law A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

Early life

Stevens was born June 26, 1749, in New York City, New York. He was the only son of John Stevens Jr. (1715–1792), a prominent state politician who served as a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

, and Elizabeth Alexander (1726–1800). His sister, Mary Stevens (d. 1814), married Robert R. Livingston, the first Chancellor of the State of New York. His maternal grandparents were James Alexander (1691–1756), the

Attorney General of New Jersey The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confi ...

, and Mary (née Spratt) Provoost Alexander (1693–1760), herself a prominent merchant in New York City. His paternal grandfather, John Stevens, emigrated from London England around 1695, and was married to Mary Campbell. He graduated King's College (which became

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

) in May 1768.

Career

After his graduation from King's College, he studied law and was admitted to the bar of New York City in 1771. He practiced law in New York and lived across the river. At public auction, he bought from the state of New Jersey a piece of land which had been confiscated from a

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

landowner. The land, described as "William Bayard's farm at Hoebuck" comprised approximately what is now the city of Hoboken. Stevens built his estate at Castle Point, on land that would later become the site of

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a Private university, private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely de ...

(bequeathed by his son Edwin Augustus Stevens). During the 1830s, he developed the land around his estate into the Elysian Fields, a popular weekend recreational and entertainment destination for New Yorkers during the 19th century. Stevens bought a farm in Dutchess County, New York from John Armstrong Jr. Armstrong had converted a barn into a two-story Federal style dwelling with twelve rooms. Stevens made improvements to the estate, including a half-mile race track.''Historical and Genealogical Record Dutchess and Putnam Counties New York'', Press of the A. V. Haight Co., Poughkeepsie, New York, 1912
He later sold the property to John Church Cruger (1807–1879), husband of Euphemia Van Rensselaer, daughter of Stephen Van Rensselaer. The Crugers named the estate "Annandale". In 1776, at age 27, he was appointed a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in Washington's army in 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. During the War, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and became Treasurer of New Jersey, serving from 1776 to 1779. In 1789, Stevens was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. In 1790, Stevens petitioned Congress for a bill that would protect American inventors. Through his efforts, his bill became a law on April 10, 1790, which introduced the patent system as law in the United States,

. In 1799, Stevens was named to the Board of Directors of the Manhattan Company. As one of the original stockholders and directors of The Manhattan Company, Stevens was appointed to a three-person committee, along with John B. Coles and Samuel Osgood, to explore the best ways to supply water to New York City. He ultimately became the company's consulting engineer and succeeded in convincing his fellow directors that steam pumping engines should be used and installed.

Steamboats

In 1802, Stevens designed and a built a single screw steamboat using a rotary steam engine, a primitive single stage turbine. However, due to poor sealing, the design was abandoned and he would switch to using more conventional reciprocating engines for future steamboats.Turnbull, Archibald Douglas. ''John Stevens, an American record.'' London, Century Company, 1928. In 1804, Stevens built the ''Little Juliana'', a twin screwed steamboat. She was one of the first steamboats to incorporate twin screws and a high pressure steam engine. She successfully sailed down the Hudson in May 1804. In 1806, he built the ''Phoenix'', a steamboat that ultimately sailed from Hoboken to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1809, thereby becoming the first steamship to successfully navigate the open ocean. In October 1811, Stevens' ship the ''Juliana'' began operation as the first

steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

-powered ferry (service was between New York City, and

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

). The first railroad charter in the U.S. was given to Stevens and others in 1815 for the New Jersey Railroad. The charter essentially gave Stevens and his partners, through the Camden & Amboy Railroad, a monopoly on railroads in the state of New Jersey. In 1825, he designed and built a steam locomotive, which he operated on a circle of track at his estate in

Personal life

On October 17, 1782, he married Rachel Cox (1761–1839), the daughter of John Cox. She was a descendant of the Langeveldts (or Longfields) who originally settled

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Together, they had thirteen children of which seven were sons. The children included: * John Cox Stevens (1785–1857), first commodore of the New York Yacht Club who married Maria C. Livingston in 1809. * Robert Livingston Stevens (1787–1856), applied the ''wave line'' to shipbuilding, and president of Camden and Amboy Railroad, the first railroad built in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. * James Alexander Stevens (1790–1873) * Richard Stevens (1792–1835) * Francis Bowes Stevens (1793–1812) * Edwin Augustus Stevens (1795–1868), the founder of

who married Mary Barton Picton and, after her death, Martha Bayard Dod * Elizabeth Juliana Stevens (1797–1881), who married Thomas Anderson Conover (1791–1864) * Mary Stevens (1799–1825), the first wife of Rear Admiral Joshua R. Sands (1795–1883) * Harriet Stevens (1801–1844), the second wife of Joshua R. Sands * Esther Bowes Stevens (b. 1804) * Catherine Sophia Van Cortlandt Stevens (b. 1806) Stevens died on March 6, 1838, at his estate in

References

External links

John Stevens Collection, 1808 – 1881
Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. * ''The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography.''
John Stevens article, volume 11, page 21
published 1901 by John T. White,.
Rutger exhibitions
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, John (inventor) 1749 births 1838 deaths 19th-century American inventors People from Hoboken, New Jersey Columbia College (New York) alumni Locomotive builders and designers American railroad pioneers American railroad mechanical engineers 18th-century American engineers 19th-century American engineers Continental Army officers from New Jersey People from colonial New Jersey 18th-century American lawyers 19th-century American lawyers Engineers from New Jersey Inventors from New Jersey Members of the American Philosophical Society