Edward S. Renwick
- For the Louisiana political commentator, see Ed Renwick.
Edward Sabine Renwick (1823–1912) was an American mechanical engineer, inventor and patent expert.
Early life[edit]
Renwick lost most of his eyesight while working as a patent examiner. He worked for a time in Wilkes-Barre as an ironmaster, but failed.
Family connections[edit]
His father, James Renwick, Sr., was a Professor of chemistry and physics at Columbia University. His mother, Margaret, was a member of the Brevoort family of New York. One brother, James Renwick Jr., was a leading US architect, designer of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Grace Church, Vassar College, the Smithsonian Institution and the Croton Aqueduct. The other, Henry, was a former steamboat inspector and co-author with his father. His grandmother Jean Jeffrey/Jeannie Jaffray of Lochmaben was the Blue-Eyed Lassie mentioned in Robert Burns' poem I gaed a waefu' gate yestreen.[1] Charles Wilkes was an uncle of his.
Edward Renwick married Elizabeth Anne Brevoort in 1862.
Inventions[edit]
Renwick formulated at least 25 inventions over his lifetime, including a combination chicken brooder and incubator, and a self-binding reaping machine. He sued Cyrus McCormick over royalties, but was awarded none.
His patent dates stretch from 1850 (age 27) to 1904 (age 81).
Great Eastern[edit]
One of his greatest achievements was the designing and supervising, with his brother Henry, of a repairing of a break in the bilge of the Great Eastern steamship with a floating caisson, clamped to the hull. It was 104 feet (32 m) long by 15 feet (4.6 m) wide and 8 feet (2.4 m) deep.
Later life[edit]
He later settled in Millburn, New Jersey in 1867. He built a large Victorian mansion at 140 Old Short Hills Road which stood until 2001. He died there in 1912 at the age of 89.
Notes[edit]
- ^ Robert Burns Country: I Gaed A Waefu' Gate Yestreen: at www.robertburns.org
Sources[edit]
- Renwick Family Letters and Manuscripts 1794-1916
- A History of Millburn Township by Marian Meisner, Chapter XVIII
- History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications Great Eastern by Bill Glover
- James Dugan, The Great Iron Ship, 1953 ISBN 0-7509-3447-6, pgs 149-155
- Black, George Fraser, Scotland's Mark on America, 1921
Resources[edit]
- Scotland's Mark on America at Project Gutenberg
- Renwick, Edward S. (1893). Patentable invention (PDF). Rochester, N.Y. 168 pages.
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