Amos Whitney on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Amos Whitney (October 8, 1832 – August 5, 1920) was a 
Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Amos 1832 births 1920 deaths Engineers from Connecticut 20th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American inventors American Civil War industrialists American company founders American mechanical engineers Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut) Businesspeople from Hartford, Connecticut Machine tool builders People from Biddeford, Maine
mechanical engineer
Mechanical may refer to:
Machine
* Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement
* Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...
and inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
who co-founded the Pratt & Whitney company. He was a member of the prominent Whitney family
The Whitney family is a prominent American family descended from non-Norman English immigrant John Whitney (1592–1673), who left London in 1635 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. The historic family mansion in Watertown, known as The Elm ...
.
He was born in Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford ( ) is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddef ...
, to Aaron and Rebecca (Perkins) Whitney and educated at the common schools in Saccarappa, Maine, and Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. Its population was 16,049 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county ...
. He moved at the age of 14 with his parents to Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen, Massachusetts, Methuen ...
, and apprenticed at the Essex Machine Company.
In 1852, he moved to Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, and worked at the Colt Armory. At Colt, he met Francis A. Pratt who soon left to become superintendent at the Phoenix Iron Works and took Whitney with him. While working at Phoenix Iron Works, Whitney designed the Lincoln milling machine.
In 1860, while still working at the Phoenix Iron Works, Pratt and Whitney formed the Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...
company. Their first product was a thread winder for the Willimantic Linen Company. They went on to manufacture machine tools for the manufacture of guns, sewing machines, bicycles and typewriters. The manufacturing of gun making machinery rapidly increased during the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
.
In 1893, Whitney was made vice-president of the company and worked as president from 1898 to 1901. The company was acquired by the Niles-Bement-Pond Company and Whitney remained as one of the directors. He also worked as president and director of the Gray Telephone Pay Station Company, director of the Pratt & Cady Co., director in the Co-operative Savings Bank and as treasurer of Whitney Manufacturing Company which was organized by his son Clarence.
He died on August 5, 1920, in Poland Spring, Maine and was interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut.
See also
*Whitney family
The Whitney family is a prominent American family descended from non-Norman English immigrant John Whitney (1592–1673), who left London in 1635 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. The historic family mansion in Watertown, known as The Elm ...
References
External links
Pratt & Whitney Measurement Systems Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Amos 1832 births 1920 deaths Engineers from Connecticut 20th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American inventors American Civil War industrialists American company founders American mechanical engineers Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut) Businesspeople from Hartford, Connecticut Machine tool builders People from Biddeford, Maine