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In 1786, Fulton went to Paris to study painting, and there he met ], who sat for a portrait in the studio of ] where Fulton was an apprentice. Rumsey was an inventor from Virginia who ran his own first steamboat in ] (now in West Virginia) in 1786 and repeated his attempt on December 3, 1787. As early as 1793 Fulton proposed plans for steam-powered vessels to both the United States and British governments, and in England he met the ], whose canal was used for trials of a steam tug, and who later ordered steam tugs from ]. Symington had successfully tried steamboats in 1788, and it seems probable that Fulton was aware of these developments. In 1786, Fulton went to Paris to study painting, and there he met ], who sat for a portrait in the studio of ] where Fulton was an apprentice. Rumsey was an inventor from Virginia who ran his own first steamboat in ] (now in West Virginia) in 1786 and repeated his attempt on December 3, 1787. As early as 1793 Fulton proposed plans for steam-powered vessels to both the United States and British governments, and in England he met the ], whose canal was used for trials of a steam tug, and who later ordered steam tugs from ]. Symington had successfully tried steamboats in 1788, and it seems probable that Fulton was aware of these developments.


In 1797, Fulton went to France, where ] had made a working ] in 1783, and commenced experimenting with submarine torpedoes and torpedo boats. Fulton is the inventor of the first ] to be shown in Paris, which was complete by 1800. The street where his panorama was shown is still called "'Rue des Panorames'" (Panorama Street) today.<ref>Alice Crary Sutcliffe, ''Robert Fulton and the "Clermont"'', page 63.</ref> In 1797, Fulton went to France, to find cookies where ] had made a working ] in 1783, and commenced experimenting with submarine torpedoes and torpedo boats. Fulton is the inventor of the first ] to be shown in Paris, which was complete by 1800. The street where his panorama was shown is still called "'Rue des Panorames'" (Panorama Street) today.<ref>Alice Crary Sutcliffe, ''Robert Fulton and the "Clermont"'', page 63.</ref>


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Revision as of 16:53, 23 March 2009

For other people named Robert Fulton, see Robert Fulton (disambiguation).
Robert Fulton
BornNovember 14, 1765
Fulton Township, Pennsylvania, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
DiedFebruary 24, 1815
New York City
NationalityU.S.
OccupationEngineer
Parent(s)Robert Fulton, Mary Smith
Engineering career
Projectssteamboat, submarine


Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 - February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the first commercially successful steamboat. He also designed a new type of steam warship. In 1800 he was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte to design the Nautilus, which was the first practical submarine in history.

Early life

Robert Fulton was born in a part of Little Britain Township, Pennsylvania that was separated as Fulton Township in 1844. He grew up in a small, two-story, gray stone house.

Fulton had become interested in steamboats in 1777 when he visited William Henry of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who had earlier learned about James Watt's steam engine on a visit to England. Henry had then made his own engine and in 1767 he had tried putting his engine in a boat. The experiment was unsuccessful because the boat sank, but his interest continued.

Education and work

In 1786, Fulton went to Paris to study painting, and there he met James Rumsey, who sat for a portrait in the studio of Benjamin West where Fulton was an apprentice. Rumsey was an inventor from Virginia who ran his own first steamboat in Shepherdstown (now in West Virginia) in 1786 and repeated his attempt on December 3, 1787. As early as 1793 Fulton proposed plans for steam-powered vessels to both the United States and British governments, and in England he met the Duke of Bridgewater, whose canal was used for trials of a steam tug, and who later ordered steam tugs from William Symington. Symington had successfully tried steamboats in 1788, and it seems probable that Fulton was aware of these developments.

In 1797, Fulton went to France, to find cookies where Claude de Jouffroy had made a working paddle steamer in 1783, and commenced experimenting with submarine torpedoes and torpedo boats. Fulton is the inventor of the first panorama to be shown in Paris, which was complete by 1800. The street where his panorama was shown is still called "'Rue des Panorames'" (Panorama Street) today.

The Nautilus

Fulton designed the first working submarine, the Nautilus between 1793 and 1797, while living in France. He asked the government to subsidize its construction but he was turned down twice. Eventually he approached the Minister of Marine himself and in 1800 was granted permission to build.

Fulton presents his steamship to Bonaparte in 1803

In France Fulton also met Chancellor Robert R. Livingston who was appointed U.S. Ambassador to France in 1801, and they decided to build a steamboat together and try running it on the Seine. Fulton experimented with the water resistance of various hull shapes, made drawings and models, and had a steamboat constructed. At the first trial the boat ran perfectly, but the hull was later rebuilt and strengthened, and on August 9, 1803, this boat steamed up the River Seine. The boat was 66 feet (20.1 m) long, 8 feet (2.4 m) beam, and made between 3 and 4 mph (5 to 6 km/h) against the current.

In 1806, Fulton married Chancellor Livingston's niece Harriet (who was the daughter of Walter Livingston), and they later had four children: Robert, Julia, Mary and Cornelia.

In 1807, Fulton and Livingston together built the first commercial steamboat, the North River Steamboat (later known as the Clermont), which carried passengers between New York City and Albany, New York. The Clermont was able to make the 300 mile trip in 62 hours. From 1811 until his death, Fulton was a member of the Erie Canal Commission.

Fulton died in 1815. He is buried in the Trinity Church Cemetery in New York City, alongside other famous Americans such as Alexander Hamilton.

Posthumous honors

The marble statue by Howard Roberts in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol Building
An 1806 submarine design in cross section by Robert Fulton

In 1816, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania donated a marble statue of Fulton to the National Statuary Hall Collection in the US Capitol Building. Fulton was also honored for his development of steamship technology in New York City's Hudson-Fulton Celebration of 1909. A replica of his first steam-powered steam vessel, the Clermont, was built for the occasion.

A wide number of places are named for Robert Fulton and his inventions, including:

References

  1. American Treasures of the Library of Congress: "Fulton's Submarine"
  2. Alice Crary Sutcliffe, Robert Fulton and the "Clermont", page 63.
  3. Burgess, Robert Forrest (1975). Ships Beneath the Sea. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780070089587.
  4. Fulton Elementary School website

Further reading

Erie Canal commissioners

(*) elected but declined; (**) elected but died before taking office

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