Philo Remington (October 31, 1816 – April 4, 1889) was an American businessman. He was the eldest son of
Eliphalet Remington, the founder of
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, LLC, was an American firearms manufacturer, manufacturer of firearms and ammunition. It was formerly owned by the Remington Outdoor Company, which went bankrupt in 2020 with its lines of business sold to several purchase ...
.
Early life
Philo Remington was born on October 31, 1816, in
Litchfield, New York, U.S. He was the eldest of five children, born to Abigail (née Paddock) and
Eliphalet Remington.
[ ][ ]
Career
In 1839 he joined his father's business, the name of which was already "E. Remington & Son". In 1845, when his brother Samuel also joined the firm, its name was changed to "
E. Remington & Sons". He was the manager of the mechanical department in his father's small-arms factory for over 25 years. He improved arms manufacture with the reflection method of straightening
gun barrel
A gun barrel is a crucial part of gun-type weapons such as small arms, small firearms, artillery pieces, and air guns. It is the straight shooting tube, usually made of rigid high-strength metal, through which a contained rapid expansion of high ...
s and manufactured the first successful cast-steel, drilled
rifle barrel
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles ...
made in the United States. After his father's death, Philo headed the company and supplied small arms to the Union 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 1865, the business was incorporated and Remington became president.
He was active when the firm won the contract to manufacture what was then known as the
Sholes and Glidden typewriter
The Sholes and Glidden typewriter (also known as the Remington No. 1) was the first commercially successful typewriter. Principally designed by the United States, American inventor Christopher Latham Sholes, it was developed with the assist ...
on March 1, 1873. Philo Remington retired in 1886.
He was the president of the village of
Ilion, New York
Ilion is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. Located in the Mohawk Valley region, the population was 7,646 at the 2020 census.
The village is at the northern edge of the town of German Flatts, though a tiny portion is in th ...
, for 20 years.
Personal life
Remington married Caroline A. Lathrop of
Syracuse on December 28, 1841. They had two daughters, Ida R. and Ella. His daughter Ida married
Watson C. Squire.
He was an advocate for temperance.
Remington died of
bilious fever
Bilious fever was a medical diagnosis of fever associated with excessive bile or bilirubin in the blood stream and tissues, causing jaundice (a yellow color in the skin or sclera of the eye). The most common cause was malaria. Viral hepatitis and ...
on April 4, 1889, while in
Silver Springs, Florida.
See also
*
E. Remington and Sons
*
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, LLC, was an American firearms manufacturer, manufacturer of firearms and ammunition. It was formerly owned by the Remington Outdoor Company, which went bankrupt in 2020 with its lines of business sold to several purchase ...
References
External links
Watson C. Squires Papers, University of Washington (source for death date)
1816 births
1889 deaths
People from Herkimer County, New York
People from Ilion, New York
American manufacturing businesspeople
Temperance activists from New York (state)
19th-century American businesspeople
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