Early life and education

Carpenter was born July 31, 1802 in Germantown, Pennsylvania

Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...

, a son of Conrad and Ann (Adams) Carpenter, of German-American heritage. He was educated at Germantown Academy

Germantown Academy

Germantown Academy is America's oldest nonsectarian day school, founded on December 6, 1759 . Germantown Academy is now a K-12 school in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, having moved from its original Germantown campus in 1965...

, in Germantown, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

. He received a classical education which prepared him for his professional and scientific pursuits.

Business career

From 1820 through 1828 Carpenter worked as an assistant in a wholesale drug firm in Philadelphia. In 1828 he started his own drug business and engaged in real estate speculation and other business ventures for his primary financial support.

Scientific contributions

While working as an assistant in his first job, he met Thomas Nuttall

Thomas Nuttall

Thomas Nuttall was an English botanist and zoologist, who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841....

 and developed an interest in the natural sciences which filled his leisure time for the remainder of his life. He was particularly interested in mineralogy

Mineralogy

Mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.-History:Early writing...

, and made extensive collections of minerals which he described and shared with Parker Cleaveland

Parker Cleaveland

Parker Cleaveland was an American geologist and mineralogist, born in Rowley, Massachusetts.He was identified with the early progress of the natural sciences...

 and other notable natural scientists of the day. He authored a number of papers published in the American Journal of Science

American Journal of Science

The American Journal of Science is the United States of America's longest-running scientific journal, having been published continuously since its conception in 1818 by Professor Benjamin Silliman, who edited and financed it himself...

and the American Journal of Medical Sciences between 1825 and 1832 dealing with pharmacological matters. He organized his collections into a museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 on his Germantown estate, incorporating large collections of specimens relating to all aspects of the natural sciences, and kept specimens of rare plants collected by Nuttall in a greenhouse

Greenhouse

A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...

 on his estate. He was elected an associate of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, and his 1839 book Essays on Some of the Most Important Articles of the Materia Medica was reprinted in a second edition, and became a textbook

Textbook

A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...

.

Death and legacy

Carpenter died on June 7, 1860 at his home in Germantown. His widow, Ellen (Douglas) Carpenter, donated his museum collections of natural history items to the Academy of Natural Sciences

Academy of Natural Sciences

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the New World...

, and his collection of rare plants to the City of Philadelphia.