Frederick Graff (27 August 1775 – 13 April 1847) was an American

hydraulic engineer Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the move ...

who designed and built the Fairmount Water Works in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and unofficially invented the

fire hydrant A fire hydrant, fireplug, firecock (archaic), hydrant riser or Johnny Pump is a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply. It is a component of active fire protection. Underground fire hydrants have been used in Europe a ...

Biography

Graff was son to Jacob Graff, Jr., a bricklayer who is noted for renting out the second floor of his house to

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

where he wrote the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

in 1776. Graff began his career as a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

but suffered a severe knee injury with a hatchet which left him unable to work as a carpenter and lame for the rest of his life. In 1799, he was hired by

Benjamin Henry Latrobe Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe (May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820) was a British-American Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical architect who immigrated to the United States. He was one of the first formally trained, professional architects in ...

as a draftsman and worked his way up to clerk and superintendent of works. In 1800, Graff was placed in charge of the design and building of the Branch Bank of Deposit in Norfolk, Virginia. Graff was also employed as engineer of the Santee Canal in South Carolina. He returned to Philadelphia and on April 1, 1805, was assigned as superintendent and engineer of the construction of the first water works in Philadelphia in Centre Square, the site of the current day

Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the office ...

. On 1 April 1805, he was elected superintendent and engineer of the works, but they were determined to be inadequate after several years of usage. In 1811 Graff recommended Fairmount as the proper place for the water works, and was placed in charge of the construction. At this time, the pipes were made of wood, but Graff devised an iron-pipe system to be used instead. These were the first large size iron pipes used in the United States. The Philadelphia waterworks was the first large-scale, municipal waterworks in the United States. Graff's designs of fire plugs and stopcocks were sent to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and deemed to be superior to the ones used in England. In 1822, when the basic system was complete, the city water committee sent him a resolution of thanks, and he was presented with a silver vase. In 1828 he received another award from the water committee “as a testimonial of respect for his talents and zeal effectually displayed in overcoming unforeseen difficulties encountered in the construction of the northeast reservoir at Fairmount". His experience and ability became acknowledged throughout the country, and he supplied detailed information to aid in the development of 37 other waterworks in the United States, including those in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

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 ...

. By 1842, over 113 miles of water mains had been laid. He was engaged for 42 years in the service of the city of Philadelphia, and a monument to his memory was erected on the grounds of the Fairmount Water Works. Graff invented the modern fire hydrant in 1801. His design had a hose-faucet outlet on a cylinder with a valve at the top. It is believed he held the patent for invention of the fire hydrant but this cannot be confirmed since the U.S. Patent Office burned down in 1836 and many records were destroyed. He died on April 13, 1847, and was interred at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

. His son, Frederic Graff, Jr., succeeded him as chief engineer of the Philadelphia water works.

Citations

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graff, Frederick 1775 births 1847 deaths 19th-century American engineers 19th-century American inventors American canal engineers American carpenters American draughtsmen Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Hydraulic engineers Engineers from Philadelphia