James H. Blessing (April 17, 1837 – February 21, 1910) was an American inventor, engineer, and business executive from

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

. A Republican, he served as a member of the Albany County Board of Supervisors from 1894 to 1896, and president of the board from 1895 to 1896. From 1900 to 1901, he served as Albany's mayor. A native of

Guilderland, New York Guilderland is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Albany County, New York, United States. In the 2020 census, the town had a population of 36,848. The town is named for the Gelderland province in the Netherlands. The town of Gu ...

, Blessing was raised and educated in Albany, and worked as a grocery store clerk before becoming an apprentice machinist. After completing his apprenticeship, Blessing worked at an Albany machine shop until the start of 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 ...

. After working as a ship design and construction engineer at the

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a se ...

, he joined the Union Navy in 1864, and he served until the end of the war. After the war, Blessing worked as the superintendent of an Albany foundry and machine works, and in 1870 he invented a

steam trap A steam trap is a device used to discharge condensates and non-condensable gases with a negligible consumption or loss of live steam. Steam traps are nothing more than automatic valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, d ...

that vastly improved the efficiency of the steam engines then largely in use in factories and other businesses. As the partner in an Albany company that built and sold his invention, Blessing became wealthy. He also continued to invent, and his efforts resulted in several more implements and tools that were used on steam engines. A Republican in politics, Blessing served on the Albany County Board of Supervisors from 1894 to 1896 and was the board's president from 1895 to 1896. In 1899, he was the successful Republican nominee for mayor. he served one term, 1900 to 1901, and was not a candidate for reelection. After leaving office, he returned to his business interests. Blessing died in Albany on February 21, 1910, and was buried at

Albany Rural Cemetery The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Menands, New York, United States, just outside the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the U.S., at over . Many historical ...

Early life

James Henry Blessing was born in French Mills, part of the town of

, on April 17, 1837, the son of Frederick I. Blessing and Lucinda (Smith) Blessing. His family moved to Albany when he was five years old, and he attended Albany's public schools. Blessing began working as a grocery store clerk when he was twelve, and he continued in this position until he was sixteen. In 1853, he began work as an apprentice

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who operates machine tools, and has the ability to set up tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling machines. A competent machinist will generally have a strong mechan ...

at the furnace and machine shop of F & T Townsend, in which Frederick Townsend was a principal. He completed his apprenticeship in 1857, after which he continued to work as a machinist for the Townsend company. At the start of the

, Blessing and Frederick Townsend invented a

breech-loading A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition from the breech end of the barrel (i.e., from the rearward, open end of the gun's barrel), as opposed to a muzzleloader, in which the user loads the ammunition from the ( muzzle ...

rifle intended for use by the Union Army. Townsend joined the army and Blessing began working for the navy, so they did not continue to pursue procurement and fielding of their new firearm. In 1862, Blessing began working at the

as an engineer for the Union Navy, where he took part in the design and construction of warships. In 1864, he joined the navy with the rank of third assistant engineer, and was assigned to the

North Atlantic Blockading Squadron The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...

. While performing duties aboard USS ''New Berne'', he took part in December 1864's

First Battle of Fort Fisher First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and January 1865's

Second Battle of Fort Fisher The Second Battle of Fort Fisher was a successful assault by the Union Army, Navy and Marine Corps against Fort Fisher, south of Wilmington, North Carolina, near the end of the American Civil War in January 1865. Sometimes referred to as the " ...

. Blessing was granted sick leave after the battles, and was discharged at the end of the war. From 1865 to 1866, he was chief engineer in charge of steam-powered machinery for the

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 ...

City Railroad Company.

Career

In 1866, Blessing returned to Albany to become superintendent of the foundry and machine works at Townsend & Jackson, where he was again associated with Frederick Townsend. In 1870, Blessing invented the return

, a device which improved the efficiency of steam engines by returning condensation to the boiler so it could be re-used, and became widely used throughout the world. In 1872, he left Townsend & Jackson to become a partner with Townsend in the firm of Townsend & Blessing, which manufactured Blessing's steam trap. In 1875, Blessing, Townsend, and other investors formed the Albany Steam Trap Company, which expanded the manufacture and sale of Blessing's invention. While a partner in this company, Blessing continued to invent, and the devices he patented included traps, boilers, valves, and packing for steam engines, as well as pump governors, water filters, boiler purifiers, and steam and oil separators. Blessing was active in politics as a Republican, including service as vice president of his ward's party committee and selection as a delegate to numerous local party conventions. In 1894, he was elected to represent Albany's fifth ward on the Albany County Board of Supervisors. He served until 1896, and was the board's president from 1895 to 1896. In 1899, Blessing was elected

mayor of Albany In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

, the first chosen after enactment of a new city charter. He served one two-year term, 1900 to 1901. During Blessing's administration, he emphasized public education, including the completion of School 12. In addition, the city constructed and began operation of its first public baths. When the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

planned construction of the cruiser USS ''Albany'', he organized ceremonies to commemorate the launch of the new ship. Blessing's victory helped usher in more than 20 years of control by the Republican organization headed by

William Barnes Jr. William Barnes Jr. (November 17, 1866 – June 25, 1930) was an American journalist and politician. The longtime owner and publisher of the ''Albany Evening Journal'', Barnes was most notable as a major behind the scenes player in state and ...

He did not run for reelection in 1900.

Later life

Blessing's civic and professional memberships included 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 ...

, Capital City Republican Club, and

Albany Institute of History & Art The Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) is a museum in Albany, New York, Albany, New York, United States, "dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting and promoting interest in the history, art, and culture of Albany and the Upper Huds ...

. He was also a devout

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

, and attended Albany's First Baptist Church. In 1857, Blessing married Martha Hutson, who died in 1866. They were the parents of two daughters, one of whom died in infancy. In 1870, he married Mary (Gilson) Judd, who died in 1916. Blessing died in Albany on February 21, 1910. His funeral took place at the First Baptist Church in Albany. Blessing was buried at

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blessing, James H. 1837 births 1910 deaths Union Navy sailors People from Guilderland, New York Businesspeople from Albany, New York Inventors from New York (state) Engineers from New York (state) New York (state) Republicans Mayors of Albany, New York Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery 19th-century mayors of places in New York (state) 20th-century mayors of places in New York (state)