Thomas Godfrey (January 10, 1704 – December 1749) was a

glazier A glazier is a tradesman responsible for cutting, installing, and removing glass (and materials used as substitutes for glass, such as some plastics).Elizabeth H. Oakes, ''Ferguson Career Resource Guide to Apprenticeship Programs'' ( Infobase: ...

and self-taught mathematician and astronomer in the

Pennsylvania Colony The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to Wi ...

, who invented the octant in 1730. A similar octant was also independently invented about the same time by

John Hadley John Hadley (16 April 1682 – 14 February 1744) was an English mathematician, and laid claim to the invention of the octant, two years after Thomas Godfrey claimed the same. Biography He was born in Bloomsbury, London the eldest son of ...

in London with Hadley receiving the greater share of the credit for development. He published

almanacs An almanac (also spelled ''almanack'' and ''almanach'') is an annual publication listing a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, tide tables, and other ...

and contributed essays on mathematics, astronomy and general topics to the ''

Pennsylvania Gazette ''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' was one of the United States' most prominent newspapers from 1728 until 1800. In the several years leading up to the American Revolution the paper served as a voice for colonial opposition to British colonial rule, ...

'' and '' Pennsylvania Journal''. He assisted the Welsh surveyor Lewis Evans in conducting astronomical observations to correct the longitude of Philadelphia on maps published by Evans. He was friends with

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

and a founding member of the Junto club, which was the precursor of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. He served as a director of the

Library Company of Philadelphia The Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) is a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia. Founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin as a library, the Library Company of Philadelphia has accumulated one of the most significant collections of hist ...

and was a member of American Philosophical Society with the title "mathematician".

Early life

Godfrey was born January 10, 1704, to Joseph and Catherine Godfrey on the family farm in

Bristol Township, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Bristol Township is a defunct township that was located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. The township ceased to exist and was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia following the passage of the Act of Consolidation, 1854. It is the modern ...

. His father died when he was 1 years old and he inherited the family farm at age 21. He moved to Philadelphia and worked as a plumber and a

. He installed the glass in Philadelphia's State House, now

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers. The structure forms the centerpi ...

. He was employed at the estate of James Logan who encouraged Godfrey to pursue mathematics and science. He became a

deist Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin '' deus'', meaning "god") is the philosophical position and rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge, and asserts that empirical reason and observation ...

Career

While working at James Logan's estate,

Stenton Stenton ( sco, Staneton) is a parish and village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is bounded on the north by parts of the parishes of Prestonkirk and Dunbar, on the east by Spott and on the west by Whittingehame. The name is said to be of Saxon de ...

, Godfrey observed a reflection in a piece of broken glass which prompted the idea for the reflecting quadrant. Godfrey accessed a copy of

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a " natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

's '' Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica'' in Logan's library to further expand his idea. While challenged by the Latin text, with Logan's support, he was able to learn Latin and apply Newton's theories to his idea. Godfrey began experiments to develop an improved quadrant for determining

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

for navigation. He carried out much of his work in part of a home he rented from

. Godfrey completed development of his octant in 1730 and the accuracy of the device was tested by the captain and first mate of the ''Trueman'' on voyages to the West Indies and Newfoundland. James Logan sent a description of Godfrey's invention to

Edmond Halley Edmond (or Edmund) Halley (; – ) was an English astronomer, mathematician and physicist. He was the second Astronomer Royal in Britain, succeeding John Flamsteed in 1720. From an observatory he constructed on Saint Helena in 1676–77, H ...

, the

Astronomer Royal Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. There are two officers, the senior being the Astronomer Royal dating from 22 June 1675; the junior is the Astronomer Royal for Scotland dating from 1834. The post ...

in Britain. Logan was surprised to then see an almost identical device described as invented by

in the ''

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...

''. Hadley received a patent for the octant in 1734 without contest. Godfrey, along with Logan, wrote to the Royal Society to defend his claim that the device was his original invention. The communication including sworn affidavits signed by the Mayor of Philadelphia that Godfrey's octant was crafted by Edmund Woolley of wood on November 1730. The communication also noted that Hadley's nephew was present at an early demonstration of his invention. His claim was denied, but he did receive a cash reward for his work from the Society. From 1729 to 1736, Godfrey worked as a publisher of almanacs. He also contributed essays on mathematics, astronomy and general topics to the ''

'' and '' Pennsylvania Journal''. He assisted Lewis Evans in conducting astronomical observations to correct the longitude of Philadelphia on maps published by Evans. Godfrey was a founding member, with Benjamin Franklin, of the Junto club, which was the precursor of the

. Godfrey was a director of the

and was a member of American Philosophical Society with the title "mathematician". Franklin described Godfrey at length in his '' Autobiography'': Thomas Godfrey (inventor) tombstone in Laurel Hill Cemetery

Thomas Godfrey (inventor) tombstone in Laurel Hill Cemetery

Godfrey died in 1749 at the age of 45. He was originally interred at his farm near Germantown, but over time the grave fell into disrepair. In 1838,

John Fanning Watson John Fanning Watson (June 13, 1779 - December 23, 1860) was an Philadelphia antiquarian, a chronicler and an historian who became a professional writer. He is best known as the author of ''Annals of Philadelphia'' (1830). Life A bookseller, then ...

reinterred the remains of Godfrey, his wife, father and mother to

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

. In 1843, a memorial erected by the Mercantile Library Company of Philadelphia was placed atop their graves.

Personal life

Gofrey was married and had five children. His second son, also Thomas Godfrey, was a poet and published several popular works, including the play ''

The Prince of Parthia ''The Prince of Parthia'' is a Neo-Classical tragedy by Thomas Godfrey and was the first stage play written by an American to be presented in the United States by a professional cast of actors, on April 24, 1767. It was first published in 176 ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, Thomas (inventor) 1704 births 1749 deaths 18th-century American inventors 18th-century American mathematicians 18th-century astronomers Almanac compilers American colonial writers American deists American plumbers American publishers (people) American scientific instrument makers Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Date of death unknown Glaziers Independent scientists Members of the American Philosophical Society People from Philadelphia People of colonial Pennsylvania Scientists from Philadelphia Inventors from Pennsylvania