Thomas Davenport | |
|---|---|
 Davenport c. 1850 | |
| Born | (1802-07-09)July 9, 1802 Williamstown, Vermont, United States |
| Died | July 6, 1851(1851-07-06) (aged 48) |
| Resting place | Pine Hill Cemetery,Brandon, Vermont |
| Occupation(s) | Blacksmith Inventor |
| Employer | Orange Smalley |
| Known for | inventing the electric motor |
| Spouse | Emily (Goss) Davenport (m. 1827-1851, his death) |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature | |
.png) | |
Thomas Davenport (July 9, 1802 – July 6, 1851) was aVermontblacksmith who, with his wife Emily, constructed the first AmericanDCelectric motor in 1834.[1]
Davenport was born inWilliamstown, Vermont. He lived in Forest Dale, a village in the town ofBrandon.
As early as 1834, his wife and heEmily Davenport developed a battery-powered electric motor. They used it to operate a small model car on a short section of track, paving the way for the later electrification ofstreetcars.[2] It is the first attempt to apply electrification to locomotion.[3]
Davenport's 1833 visit to the Penfield and Taft iron works atCrown Point, New York, where anelectromagnet was operating, based on the design ofJoseph Henry, was an impetus for his electromagnetic undertakings. Davenport bought an electromagnet from the Crown Point factory and took it apart to see how it worked. Then he forged a better iron core and redid the wiring, using silk from his wife's wedding gown.[4]
With his wifeEmily and colleague Orange Smalley, Davenport received the first Americanpatent on an electric machine in 1837, U. S. Patent No. 132.[5] In 1840, he printedThe Electro-Magnetic and Mechanics Intelligencer, making it the first magazine to be printed with electricity.[6]
In 1849,Charles Grafton Page, the Washington scientist and inventor, commenced a project to build an electromagnetically powered locomotive, with substantial funds appropriated by the US Senate. Davenport challenged the expenditure of public funds, arguing for the motors he had already invented. In 1851, Page's full sized electromagnetically operated locomotive was put to a calamity-laden test[clarification needed] on the rail line between Washington and Baltimore.[7]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
