Owen Biddle Sr. (1737 – March 10, 1799) was a

clockmaker A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly t ...

and

watchmaker A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their par ...

by trade, a merchant in

Philadelphia 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 ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

Colonel, and an

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

and

scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...

Ancestors and early life

He was a great-grandson of William Biddle, I (1630–1712), and Sarah Kempe (1634–1709), Quakers who emigrated to America in 1681. William Biddle was one of the Proprietors of

West Jersey West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often ...

, and for many years a member of the Governor's Council of that colony. Owen was a grandson of William Biddle, II (1660–1743), and son of John Biddle, I, (1707–1789), who moved to Philadelphia about 1725 with his brother, William Biddle, III (b. 1698–1756). His father prospered as a merchant. After eight years of formal education, Owen Biddle became a clock and watchmaker.

Patriot

He was engaged in mercantile pursuits, and with his younger brother, Clement Biddle, signed the Non-importation Resolutions of October 25, 1765. He was a delegate to the Provincial Conference January 23, 1775; member of the Committee of Safety from June 30, 1775, to July 22, 1776, during which period he served as ''de facto'' Governor of Pennsylvania on July 4, 1776, again on July 8 and 10, 1776, and finally on July 16, 1776. Owen Biddle continued service with the newly constituted Council of Safety from July 24, 1776 to March 13, 1777. He became a member of the Board of War on March 13, 1777, and was a member of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention of July 15, 1776. In June, 1777, he was appointed Deputy Commissary General of Forage, with the rank of Colonel, by the Continental Congress. He served under his younger brother, Clement, who was the Commissary General of Forage and also a Colonel, until August 15, 1780. He and his brother labored for three years to obtain provisions for the Continental Army's horses, mules and other draft animals, while struggling to obtain funds, working with unreliable subordinates, and many unresponsive farmers.

Astronomy and science

He was an early and active member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

, one of its curators from 1769 to 1772, and secretary from 1773 to 1782, when he became one of the councilors, continuing as such until his death. In 1782, he was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

. He was one of the committee of thirteen appointed by the Society to observe the

transit of Venus A transit of Venus takes place when Venus passes directly between the Sun and the Earth (or any other superior planet), becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk. During a transit, Venus is visible as ...

on June 3, 1769. These observations were made with eminent success by three members of the Committee,

David Rittenhouse David Rittenhouse (April 8, 1732 – June 26, 1796) was an American astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, mathematician, surveyor, scientific instrument craftsman, and public official. Rittenhouse was a member of the American Philosophical Society an ...

being stationed at Norristown, Dr. John Ewing at Philadelphia, and Owen Biddle at

Cape Henlopen Cape Henlopen is the southern cape of the Delaware Bay along the Atlantic coast of the United States. It lies in the state of Delaware, near the town of Lewes, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. Off the coast on the bay side are two ...

, Delaware.

Family

He married Sarah Parke in 1760, and fathered ten children over a period of twenty years, including Owen Biddle Jr. (1774–1806), a member of the Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia. He died on March 10, 1799, in Philadelphia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biddle, Owen 1737 births 1799 deaths 18th-century American astronomers Owen Sr. Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Scientists from Philadelphia Members of the American Philosophical Society Patriots in the American Revolution Merchants from colonial Pennsylvania 18th-century American merchants

Ancestors and early life

Patriot

Astronomy and science

Family

See also

References