Frank Atwood Huntington
Encyclopedia
Frank Atwood Huntington was an American
inventor.
on August 9, 1836. He had twelve sibling
s, being number thirteen and the last child born in the family. Huntington's ancestors were interested in the lumber trade. His father owned a sawmill and a shingle mill. What he learned in his youth was reflected in his innovations and patents later.
Huntington at the age of twenty-one went to San Francisco. In 1858 he took charge of a lumber mill in Monterey County, California
. He later managed a shingle mill in nearby San Mateo County. While there the inadequacy of the sawmill machinery gave him ideas for improvements to shingle machines. He later obtained patents for his innovations in improvements to sawmill machinery.
Sometime in the early part of the 1860s Huntington went to Humboldt County, Nevada
and tried mining for a while. He had varying degrees of success. Later he went to Arizona. After years of adventure in Arizona and other places and not succeeding as well as he wished, he gave up mining and returned to San Francisco. Here he commenced to make good use of his inventive skills and in 1865 began to manufacture sawmill machinery. He introduced a number of improvements to sawmill machinery which he patented.
When he moved back to San Francisco he first was located in the Pacific Saw Company's Building in San Francisco where he remained three or four years until 1870. He shows up in the 1870 San Francisco census. From time to time he moved his headquarters of mining machinery to the Kittredge Building and to the Vulcan Iron Works in San Francisco. He is then found at 45 Fremont Street and later at 213 to 219 First Street in San Francisco.
On September 18, 1873, Huntington married Laura Caroline Folzer. They had one child, a daughter named Marie Louise. They lived at Webster and Durant streets in Oakland. Huntington was a family man and spent his leisure time with his wife and daughter at their elegant home. From time to time he had Chinese servants at his home.
In 1889 Huntington patented a gasoline engine propelled vehicle, four years before the Duryea brothers built and tested their first vehicle in Springfield, Massachusetts
, in 1893 — considered by many as the first American
gas powered car. It is likely Huntington was the first inventor of a gasoline engine car on the west coast of the United States
. While it is not known whether Huntington’s vehicle was successfully built, his patent 411196 has certain claims that represent a self-propelled gasoline engine car.
In the years he was in California he experimented incessantly with machinery. He gave to the public various inventions of practical value. Besides being a practical inventor he was also a manufacturer of his special machinery. In 1891 he was experimenting on what was considered a most important invention.
His mining experience gave him the idea for a roller quartz mill, improved ore crushers, concentrators and many other needed mining equipment improvements of older mining machinery. It is inventions like his that made San Francisco the center of the manufacture of mining machinery for the United States.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventor.
Biography
Huntington was born in Atkinson, MaineAtkinson, Maine
Atkinson is a town in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The town was named after Judge Atkinson, a landholder. The population was 323 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
on August 9, 1836. He had twelve sibling
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
s, being number thirteen and the last child born in the family. Huntington's ancestors were interested in the lumber trade. His father owned a sawmill and a shingle mill. What he learned in his youth was reflected in his innovations and patents later.
Huntington at the age of twenty-one went to San Francisco. In 1858 he took charge of a lumber mill in Monterey County, California
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
. He later managed a shingle mill in nearby San Mateo County. While there the inadequacy of the sawmill machinery gave him ideas for improvements to shingle machines. He later obtained patents for his innovations in improvements to sawmill machinery.
Sometime in the early part of the 1860s Huntington went to Humboldt County, Nevada
Humboldt County, Nevada
Humboldt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of 2007, the population was estimated to be 18,052. Its county seat is Winnemucca.The county was the site of an arrest in 2000 that led to the U.S. Supreme Court decision Hiibel v...
and tried mining for a while. He had varying degrees of success. Later he went to Arizona. After years of adventure in Arizona and other places and not succeeding as well as he wished, he gave up mining and returned to San Francisco. Here he commenced to make good use of his inventive skills and in 1865 began to manufacture sawmill machinery. He introduced a number of improvements to sawmill machinery which he patented.
When he moved back to San Francisco he first was located in the Pacific Saw Company's Building in San Francisco where he remained three or four years until 1870. He shows up in the 1870 San Francisco census. From time to time he moved his headquarters of mining machinery to the Kittredge Building and to the Vulcan Iron Works in San Francisco. He is then found at 45 Fremont Street and later at 213 to 219 First Street in San Francisco.
On September 18, 1873, Huntington married Laura Caroline Folzer. They had one child, a daughter named Marie Louise. They lived at Webster and Durant streets in Oakland. Huntington was a family man and spent his leisure time with his wife and daughter at their elegant home. From time to time he had Chinese servants at his home.
Self-propelled vehicle
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, in 1893 — considered by many as the first American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gas powered car. It is likely Huntington was the first inventor of a gasoline engine car on the west coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. While it is not known whether Huntington’s vehicle was successfully built, his patent 411196 has certain claims that represent a self-propelled gasoline engine car.
Patents
- 1868 - IMPROVED CARRIAGE-SPRING.
- 1872 - IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-BOILER FURNACES.
- 1872 - IMPROVEMENT IN BALING-PRESSES.
- 1873 - IMPROVEMENT IN DIVIDED-NUT DEVICES FOR FEED-SCREWS.
- 1874 - IMPROVEMENT IN SHINGLE-MACHINES.
- 1874 - IMPROVEMENT IN MAGAZINE FIRE-ARMS.
- 1878 - IMPROVEMENT IN ORE-STAMPS.
- 1880 - FEED AND SET WORKS FOR SAW-MILLS
- 1889 - VEHICLE.
- 1891 - POWER STREET-PAVING MACHINE.
- 1880 - ORE CRUSHER AND PULVERIZER.
- 1880 - AMALGAMATOR.
- 1881 - ORE-FEEDER FOR CRUSHING-MILLS.
- 1881 - GRINDING AND AMALGAMATING PAN.
- 1882 - CRUSHING MILL.
- 1885 - ROCK CRUSHER OR BREAKER.
- 1885 - CRUSHING MILL.
- 1887 - ORE-CRUSHER.
- 1888 - ORE-FEEDER.
- 1890 - CRUSHING-MILL.
- 1890 - CRUSHING-MILL.
- 1891 - ORE-FEEDER FOR CRUSHING-MILLS.
- 1892 - ORE-CAR.
- 1896 - CRUSHING-MILL.
- 1898 - ROLLER CRUSHING-MILL.
- 1908 - CRUSHING-MILL.
Associations and Society Clubs
- Member of the National Association of ManufacturersNational Association of ManufacturersThe National Association of Manufacturers is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C. with 10 additional offices across the country...
. - Member of the Mechanics' Institute.
- Member of the Keystone Lodge.
- Member of the Knights of HonorKnights of HonorThe Knights of Honor , a fraternal organization, was founded in 1873. Its principles differ little from those of other beneficent societies, the objects being to care for the sick and pay certain sums to the heirs of deceased members...
.
Sources
- Amos Press, Cars & Parts, Item notes: v.33 1990 Jul-Dec, 1990
- Huntington Family Association (HFA), THE HUNTINGTON FAMILY IN AMERICA, A Genealogical Memoir of the Known Descendants of SIMON HUNTINGTON from 1633 to 1915, The Hartford Printing Company, Hartford, Connecticut, 1915
- Kimes, Beverly Rae et al., Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942, Krause Publications, 1996, ISBN 0-8734142-8-4
- Scharchburg, Richard P., Carriages Without Horses
- The Journal, The Builders of a Great City: San Francisco's Representative Men, the City, Its History and Commerce : Pregnant Facts Regarding the Growth of the Leading Branches of Trade, Industries and Products of the State and Coast, San Francisco Journal of Commerce, 1891