Erasmus Darwin Leavitt Jr. (October 27, 1836 – March 11, 1916), also known as E. D. Leavitt, was an American

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 ...

best known for his

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs Work (physics), mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a Cylinder (locomotive), cyl ...

designs.

Life and work

Leavitt was born in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

to Erasmus Darwin Leavitt Sr., a native of

Cornish, New Hampshire Cornish is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,616 at the 2020 census. Cornish has four covered bridges. Each August, it is home to the Cornish Fair. History The town was granted in 1763 and containe ...

, and Almina (Fay) Leavitt. He graduated from local schools at age 16, and performed a 3-year apprenticeship at the Lowell Manufacturing Company. After his apprenticeship Leavitt worked for one year at the engineering firm of Corliss & Nightingale in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

before returning to Boston, where he became assistant foreman for Harrison Loring. In this role he designed the

for the USS ''

Hartford 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 ...

''. From 1859–61 he again worked in Providence, this time as chief draftsman for Thurston, Gardner & Company, builders of steam engines. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Leavitt first served aboard the USS '' Sagamore'', then in construction roles in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, and ultimately as an instructor in steam engineering at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

. In 1867 he resigned his teaching post to become a consulting engineer. Leavitt was a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, and a founding member of the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing edu ...

, for which he served as vice president from 1881 to 1882, and

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

in 1883. In 1884 he received the first honorary doctorate of engineering degree granted by the

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 ...

. Leavitt was a resident of

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

. He and his wife, the former Elizabeth Pettit, daughter of Philadelphia locomotive designer William Pettit, had five children: Mary Alford; Hart Hooker; Margaret Almira; Harriet Sherman; and Annie Louise. The astronomer

Henrietta Swan Leavitt Henrietta Swan Leavitt (; July 4, 1868 – December 12, 1921) was an American astronomer. Her discovery of how to effectively measure vast distances to remote galaxies led to a shift in the understanding of the scale and nature of the universe. ...

was his niece.

Work

Leavitt first achieved professional prominence in 1873 for his design of a novel pumping engine. From 1874–1904 he served as consulting engineer for the

Calumet and Hecla Mining Company The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company was a major copper-mining company based within Michigan, Michigan's Copper Country. In the 19th century, the company paid out more than $72 million in shareholder dividends, more than any other mining company ...

, where he designed more than 40 types of engines for a variety of uses for the company's Michigan mines. Each huge stationary steam engine was named, much like a steam locomotive or ship, with names including the Arcadia, Chippewa, Frontenac, Mackinac, Marquette, and Superior. For the company's smelting plant on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Leavitt also designed devices known as sand wheels, which lifted copper tailings and sent them sliding down a sluiceway into nearby Torch Lake. The largest of these wheels was 60-feet in diameter, had 550 buckets, weighed an estimated million pounds, and, when in operation, moved 550,000 pounds of crushed rock every minute. This wheel was made in 1901 by Robert Poole & Son Co. of Baltimore. He also designed steam-powered water pumps for various municipal water systems, including those of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

and Boston, and the power source for a hydraulic forge at the

Bethlehem Steel Company The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

Patents

*
US 129240 A, Improvement in steam pumping-engines
'' 1872 *
US 283261 A, Signor to dauphin
'' 1883 *
US 380330 A, Pump
'' 1887-88 *
US 402256 A, Steam-cylinder for steam-engines
'' 1888-89 *
US 402257 A, Hoisting-engine
'' 1888-89

References

External links

Erasmus Darwin Leavitt Jr
ASME {{DEFAULTSORT:Leavitt, Erasmus Darwin 1836 births 1916 deaths Leavitt family Presidents of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers American mechanical engineers Calumet and Hecla Mining Company personnel People from Lowell, Massachusetts People from Cambridge, Massachusetts Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 19th-century American engineers 20th-century American engineers

Life and work

Work

Patents

Further reading

References

External links