Alphonse Loubat (15 June 1799 – 10 September 1866) was a French inventor who developed improvements in

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

and rail equipment, and helped develop tram lines in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Loubat was born in

Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot (, literally ''Sainte-Livrade on Lot''; Languedocien: ''Senta Liurada'') is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France. Geography Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot is located along the banks of the river L ...

. He went to New York City in 1827 where he helped develop that city's first tramway in 1832. He returned to France and in 1852 developed the grooved rail, which greatly facilitated street railways and tramlines. Besides he planted wine in Brooklin and wrote on wine.Loubat, Alphonse: ''The American Vine Dresser's Guide.'' New York: D. Appleton & Co, 1827, reprinted in 1872. He died in Ville-d'Avray.

Joseph Florimond Loubat Joseph Florimond, Duke of Loubat (January 21, 1831 – March 1, 1927) was a French and American bibliophile, antiquarian, sportsman, and philanthropist. Biography Loubat was born in New York City to Alphonse Loubat and Susan Gaillard Loub ...

was his son.

References

1799 births 1866 deaths 19th-century French inventors Burials at Passy Cemetery Engineers from Paris Engineers from New York City {{France-engineer-stub