Thomas Davenport (1802 - 1851) was a 19th century American blacksmith and inventor. He is responsible for the creation of the first patented electric motor. He came up with a way to transform electromagnetic energy into mechanical power and considered electricity to be the ideal replacement for the steam engines that existed at the time. He was self-taught on the subject.
His wife Emily was one of his greatest collaborators, taking detailed notes on Davenport's work, as well as providing him with ideas to improve how his inventions work. For example, the use of mercury as a conductor of electricity.
Unknown author, via Wikimedia Commons
Davenport had trouble registering a patent for his electric motor, but he succeeded in 1837. He also created several machines that ran on his new power system, including an electric streetcar.
However, Davenport was unable to obtain in his lifetime the financial support necessary to reach the full potential of his discoveries.
Biography
the beginning
Thomas Davenport was born on July 9, 1802, in Williamstown, Vermont, United States of America. He was the eighth of 12 siblings.
His father died when he was 10 years old, so at 14 he became an apprentice blacksmith, until in 1823 he opened his own blacksmith shop in Brandon, Vermont.
Davenport married the young daughter of a local merchant named Emily Goss. The husbands lived in Forestdale, near Brandon.
The creator of the first patented electric motor was a self-taught electromagnetist. At age 29, Davenport traveled to Ironville, where he first saw the system devised by Joseph Henry, which allowed the separation of different iron purities in the mining process with magnets.
It was used to obtain the purest iron, but it was not highly efficient, so it was commonly regarded as a curiosity, rather than a really practical system.
Davenport decided to buy his own Henry magnet. To do so, he sold his brother's horse and spent his own savings. Thanks to this acquisition, he managed to begin studying electromagnetism in 1833.
By 1834 he had completed his first electric motor. However, he showed it to the public the following year in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts.
In this investigation, his wife, Emily, was one of his key collaborators in achieving success. In fact, some sources claim that she recommended the use of mercury as a conductor of electricity, one of the elements necessary for the Davenport engine to work.
Patent
At first, Davenport was unable to get his patent for the electric motor approved, as there was no precedent. Officials had never granted a patent on an electrical device.
But Thomas Davenport persisted in his efforts. He got recommendations from scientists and university professors from different institutions. On his tour he met the creator of the magnet system that inspired him, Joseph Henry.
Likewise, Davenport met Benjamin Franklin Bache, a journalist and scientist who was Benjamin Franklin's grandson. Finally in 1837 he obtained patent # 132, in which he claimed that he had made improvements with electromagnetism in the propulsion system of the engines.
He then set up a store in New York, close to Wall Street, along with his partner Ransom Cook, in an attempt to attract investor funds. Meanwhile, he kept trying to improve his invention.
In 1840, The Electro-Magnetic and Mechanics Inteligencer appeared, the first newspaper to be produced on an electric printing press.
Death
Davenport also created a small train that ran on electricity, an electric piano, and tried to use his creation on a wide variety of objects. However, it failed to attract buyers for its patent, or investors.
In part, the failure of Davenport's engine was due to the cost of the batteries and the lack of profitable use for the technology it had developed.
Thomas Davenport died on July 6, 1851 at age 49 in Salisbury, Vermont.
Inventions
Patent # 132 certified that Thomas Davenport of the Town of Brandon in Vermont had discovered the application of magnetism and electromagnetism to propulsion machines.
Davenport's creation consisted of a magnet on a wheel and another fixed on a frame, the interaction between them made the rotor move half a revolution.
This system connected to a switch that automatically reversed the polarity of the magnet generated a continuous rotation. The motor was powered by a galvanic battery, like those proposed by Volta.
The engine idea was bright and promising, however, no specific use had been found for the invention. That's when Davenport thought that this system could replace the use of steam engines for trains.
He then created a prototype miniature train that rotated on circular rails. This motor was powered by a fixed battery using the same rails on which it moved as electricity conductors.
Other contributions
Davenport was always looking for a utility for his creation. He adapted the electric motor system to a myriad of objects, such as his printing press. He also tried to make a piano sound like an organ thanks to electromagnetism.
When he was located near Wall Street he was looking to attract investors and this was another of his reasons for creating his own printing press. Thanks to this he published some of his advances in the field of electromagnetism in the newspaper he called: The Electro-Magnetic and Mechanics Inteligencer.
However, not even the creator himself could imagine at the time that his machine would one day be powered by steam to generate electricity.
Some consider that Davenport made contributions that were too early to be appreciated in his day. But today the idea of the electric motor does not sound, as in Davenport times, useless, but on the contrary everyday.
Thomas Davenport, the blacksmith who set about creating an electrical machine, died in bankruptcy. He was not able to demonstrate the benefits of his creation during his life, but he created the basis for others to develop their advances in the field.
References
- En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Thomas Davenport (inventor). Available at: en.wikipedia.org.
- Davis, L. (2012). Fleet Fire. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
- Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018). Thomas Davenport - American inventor. Available at: britannica.com.
- Center, C. (2018). Thomas Davenport - Electrical Pioneer. Edison Tech Center Available at: edisontechcenter.org.
- New England Historical Society. (2018). Thomas Davenport Makes the First Electric Car in America in 1834 Available at: newenglandhistoricalsociety.com.
- Doppelbauer, M. (2018). History - The invention of the electric motor 1800-1854. Available at: eti.kit.edu.
- En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Emily Davenport. Available at: en.wikipedia.org.
- Rice, W. (1929). Biography of Thomas Davenport. Vermont Historical Society.
- Stanley, A. (1995) Mothers and Daughters of Invention. Rutgers University Press, pp. 293-294.