John F. Fritz (August 21, 1822 – February 13, 1913) was an American pioneer of iron and steel technologyexplorepahistory.com
John F. Fritz ngineer/ref>Sandra E. Duffy (2012
Fritz Lab: Not Just for Chicks
from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

who has been referred to as the "Father of the U.S. Steel Industry". To celebrate his 80th birthday the

John Fritz Medal The John Fritz Medal has been awarded annually since 1902 by the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) for "outstanding scientific or industrial achievements". The medal was created for the 80th birthday of John Fritz, who lived bet ...

was established in 1902, with Fritz himself being the first recipient.

Early life and education

Fritz was born August 21, 1822, in

Londonderry Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania Londonderry Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,149 at the 2010 census. History In 1682, William Penn deeded 50,000 acres in what is now Londonderry Township to his relative John Fagg. ...

, the eldest of seven children of George Fritz and Mary Meharg.Fritz, John (1912) ''The Autobiography of John Fritz'' (Wiley) New YorkStudents of Prof. Tatu (2013
Steel and the Lehigh Valley
from

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

He was of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and Scotch-Irish descent.

Career

At the age of 16, Fritz was awarded an apprentiship as a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

.Journal of the Franklin Institute Volume 171, Issue 1, January 1911, Pages 97–98 Elliott Cresson Medal Awards: John Fritz, Esq. He progressed to become a mechanic, working for the Norristown Iron Company. In 1854, he moved to the

Cambria Iron Company The Cambria Iron Company of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a major producer of iron and steel that operated independently from 1852 to 1916. The company adopted many innovations in the steelmaking process, including those of William Kelly and Henr ...

, where he designed the first three-high rolling mill, a notable achievement. In 1860 he became General Superintendent and Chief Engineer of the Bethlehem Iron Works in

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Bethle ...

. While there he was responsible for installing a

Bessemer Converter The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron before the development of the open hearth furnace. The key principle is removal of impurities and undesired elements, primar ...

and various developments in the company, staying until 1892, when he was 70. Fritz was president of 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 ...

, president of the

American Institute of Mining Engineers The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) is a professional association for mining and metallurgy, with over 145,000 members. The association was founded in 1871 by 22 mining engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Penns ...

, honorary vice president for life of the

Iron and Steel Institute The Iron and Steel Institute was a British association originally organized by the iron trade of the north of England. Its object was the discussion of practical and scientific questions connected with the manufacture of iron and steel. History The ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, member of the

American Society of Civil Engineers The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a tax-exempt professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, it is the oldest national engineering soci ...

, honorary member of the

American Iron and Steel Institute The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) is a trade association of North American steel producers. Including its predecessor organizations, it is one of the oldest trade associations in the United States, dating back to 1855. It assumed its ...

, and recipient of the

Bessemer Gold Medal The Bessemer Gold Medal is awarded annually by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) "for outstanding services to the steel industry, to the inventor or designer of any significant innovation in the process employed in the manufact ...

, the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, and the John Fritz Gold Medal of the United Engineering Societies.Appended documents to ''The Autobiography of John Fritz'' He was awarded honorary degrees from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

and the

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a Private university, private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely de ...

Death

Fritz died at his home in

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

on February 13, 1913, at age 90

Selected publications

* John Fritz
''The Autobiography of John Fritz''
(New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1912). Available online throug
Beyond Steel: An Archive of Lehigh Valley Industry and Culture
:About John Fritz * Lance Metz, ''John Fritz: His Role in the Development of the American Iron and Steel Industry and His Legacy to the Bethlehem Community'' (Easton, PA: Center for Canal History and Technology, 1987).

References

External links

"Finding Aid to The Autobiography of John Fritz, Holographic Manuscript"
, Special Collections, Linderman Library,

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fritz, John 1822 births 1913 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople American blacksmiths American people of Scotch-Irish descent American steel industry businesspeople American metallurgists American people of German descent Bessemer Gold Medal Bethlehem Steel people Engineers from Pennsylvania John Fritz Medal recipients People from Chester County, Pennsylvania