Samuel Vaughan Merrick (1801–1870) was a 19th-century American manufacturer, and the first president of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

Biography

Born near Hallowell,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

(it became part of Maine in 1820) on May 4, 1801, Merrick left school in 1816 and moved to

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 ...

, where he worked for his merchant uncle John Vaughan. He subsequently studied

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, and in 1824 founded, with scientist William Keating, The

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and a center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and wikt:statesman, statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin ...

of the State of Pennsylvania for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, of which he was President from 1832 until 1854. He also established the firm of Merrick and Agnew, which manufactured fire engines. He married Sarah Thomas on December 25, 1823 and they had one son. In 1836, Merrick established the Southwark Iron Foundry, which became one of the most advanced manufacturing plants of its kind in this country. Operated by the firm of Merrick & Towne (later renamed Merrick & Sons), the foundry built the engines for the USS ''Mississippi''. Merrick took a deep interest in public affairs and was instrumental to the introduction of illuminating gas into Philadelphia, being the chairman of a Committee of the Common Council that reported on the benefits of gaslighting. He also served as the first president of the

, which he had advocated as a means to connect Philadelphia to the west, and was also president of the Sunbury and Erie Railroad (later part of the PRR) and the

Catawissa Railroad The Catawissa Railroad was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania between 1860 and 1953. For most of its lifespan it was leased by the Reading Company, and was subsequently merged into the Reading. History The original company was chartered as ...

(later part of the

Reading Railroad The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and freight transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states from 1924 until its acquisition by Conrail in 1976. Commonly called the Reading Railr ...

). Merrick was a 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 ...

from 1833 until his death. Merrick maintained a residence in

Haddon Township, New Jersey Haddon Township is a township in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 15,407, an increase of 700 (+4.8%) from the 2010 census count of 14,707, which in turn refle ...

. He died in Philadelphia on August 18, 1870, 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 ...

Footnotes

References

* * * * 1801 births 1870 deaths Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) People from Haddon Township, New Jersey People from Hallowell, Maine Pennsylvania Railroad people 19th-century American businesspeople Members of the American Philosophical Society {{US-business-bio-1800s-stub