William Howe (May 12, 1803 – September 19, 1852) was an American architect and bridge builder famous for patenting the

Howe truss A Howe truss is a truss bridge consisting of chords, verticals, and diagonals whose vertical members are in tension and whose diagonal members are in compression. The Howe truss was invented by William Howe in 1840, and was widely used as a brid ...

design for bridges in 1840.

Life and career

William Howe was born on May 12, 1803, in

Spencer, Massachusetts Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,992 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated pl ...

, to Elijah and Fanny ( Bemis) Howe. His father owned a sawmill, He was a hard-working child, and learned carpentry and construction at an early age. After successfully completing an apprenticeship in carpentry, he enrolled and graduated from

Leicester Academy Leicester Academy was a private, state chartered school in Leicester, Massachusetts. History Leicester Academy was founded on March 23, 1784, when the Act of Incorporation for Leicester Academy was passed by the Massachusetts General Court as a ...

Leicester, Massachusetts Leicester ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,087 at the 2020 United States census. History What is now Leicester was originally settled by the Nipmuc people and was known by them as ''Towtaid' ...

. Howe married Azubah Stone, daughter of a

Charlton, Massachusetts Charlton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,315 at the 2020 census. History Charlton was first settled in 1735. It was established as a District separated from Oxford on January 10, 1755, and b ...

, farmer (and sister of

Amasa Stone Amasa Stone, Jr. (April 27, 1818 – May 11, 1883) was an American industrialist who is best remembered for having created a regional railroad empire centered in the U.S. state of Ohio from 1860 to 1883. He gained fame in New England in the 1840 ...

) in 1828. The Howe family was an inventive one. Howe's nephew,

Elias Howe Elias Howe Jr. (; July 9, 1819October 3, 1867) was an American inventor best known for his creation of the modern lockstitch sewing machine. Early life Elias Howe Jr. was born on July 9, 1819, to Dr. Elias Howe Sr (1792–1867) and Polly (Be ...

, patented the first viable

sewing machine Diagram of a modern sewing machine Animation of a modern sewing machine as it stitches A sewing machine is a machine used to sew fabric and materials together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolutio ...

. Howe's older brother,

Tyler Howe Tyler Howe (; August 11, 1800 – June 9, 1880) was an American inventor and manufacturer who developed the first box-spring bed. Life and career Tyler Howe was born on August 11, 1800, to Elijah and Frances ( Bemis) Howe in Spencer, Massachuse ...

, invented the box spring bed. William Howe established a career as a construction contractor, building homes and churches. He was particularly well-known for his churches. But bridges were his primary interest, and he founded the Howe Bridge Works in 1840. In 1840, Howe was engaged to build a railroad bridge over the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

. This famous bridge was of a new, influential design—the

bridge, which Howe patented in 1840. One of Howe's workmen, Amasa Stone, purchased for $40,000 ($ in dollars) in 1842 the rights to Howe's patented bridge design. (Amasa Stone received financial backing from Azariah Boody, a Springfield businessman.) The rights to the patent extended to bridges and structures erected only in New England. That same year, the two men formed a bridge-building firm, Boody, Stone & Co., which erected a large number of Howe truss bridges throughout

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. Howe made additional improvements, and patented a second Howe truss design in 1846. William Howe suffered a severe carriage accident and died on September 19, 1852. He was buried in Springfield.

References

Bibliography

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