Jesse Wilford Reno (August 4, 1861 – June 2, 1947) was an American inventor and engineer. He invented the first working

escalator An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the step tread horizo ...

in 1891 (patented March 15, 1892) used at the Old Iron Pier, Coney Island,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. His invention was referred to as the "inclined elevator." An earlier

machine, termed "revolving stairs" by its inventor Nathan Ames, was patented March 9, 1859, but was never built. Reno was born in 1861 in

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...

, Kansas. He was the son of

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

notable Jesse L. Reno. He graduated from

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epi ...

in 1883 with an engineering degree in mining, later a metallurgical degree, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity."Jesse W. Reno," ''The New York Times'', June 3, 1947. It has been said that Reno's inspiration for the escalator stemmed from his time as an undergraduate. Not only does Lehigh's campus feature the highest residence hall east of the Mississippi, but also there are approximately three hundred stairs that must be climbed to ascend 100+ meters from the lowest point on campus to the Chi Phi fraternity house on South Mountain.

References

External links

Biography at the Elevator Museum

Patent US673890 Inclined Elevator
1861 births 1947 deaths Lehigh University alumni People from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas People from Pelham Manor, New York American inventors Engineers from New York (state) {{US-inventor-stub