Henry D. Coffinberry
Encyclopedia
Henry Darling Coffinberry (October 12, 1841 – January 17, 1912) was a prominent
American
industrialist from Cleveland
,
Ohio
. Along with his partner, Robert Wallace, H. D. Coffinberry is considered one of the founding fathers of modern Great Lakes shipping. Following a memorable Civil War career on the ironclad gunboat Louisville
, Coffinberry returned to civilian life in Cleveland, Ohio. There he met Robert Wallace and together they built the first iron and steel hulled freighters to be used on the Great Lakes.
Coffinberry and Wallace were partners in both a foundry (Globe Iron Works) and a wooden shipbuilding firm, (Cleveland Dry Dock Company). Coffinberry became president of the Globe Ship Building Company in the early 1880s, which launched the first iron-hulled (Onoko, 1882) and steel-hulled (Spokene, 1886) Great Lakes freighters. After selling their share to M. A. Hanna, Coffinberry and several partners left Globe in 1886 to create the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company, followed by the Ship Owners Dry Dock Company. Coffinberry served as
president of the firms until retiring in 1893. He was also an investor in the Elwell
Parker Electric Motor Company of America, formed in 1893 to produce electric motors
for bulk cargo handling. By 1899 the firm produced motors for battery-driven
automobiles, but the company earned its reputation after 1906 as a manufacturer of
electric industrial trucks to more efficiently move baggage and cargo at train
terminals and shipping ports.
Coffinberry died January 17, 1912.
, October 12, 1841 (some records list his birth as October 14, 1841). He was the son of Judge James M. Coffinberry, of Cleveland, and Anna M. Coffinberry, who was a direct descendant of Thomas Fitch, colonial governor of Rhode Island, and related to John Fitch, the inventor who was the first to apply steam to navigation. Other members of the family were ship owners and masters of vessels. Mr. Coffinberry's father, the Judge, was a descendant of Andrew Coffinberry, a lawyer and geologist of some fame and a patriot of distinction, having served in the Federal navy under Bainbridge and Hull in the War of 1812.
Henry D. Coffinberry graduated from West High School of Cleveland, Ohio. During his school years he had many opportunities to learn the art of handling yachts and other small boats.
, when he was eighteen years of age Coffinberry obtained the reluctant consent from his parents to join the navy
. He shipped as an ordinary seaman at Erie, Penn.; he was then sent to the receiving ship Clara Dolson, at Cairo, Illinois
, where he was promoted on the recommendation of Commanders Pennock and Phelps, to master's mate
, and reported to Lieutenant Commander Richard W. Mead
, on the ironclad gunboat Louisville
. She was one of the six original ironclad steamers constructed by General Fremont on the Mississippi river at the breaking out of the war, and known as the "Fremont Turtles
."
The first engagement in which he participated was that of Haines Bluff, where the
fleet under command of Rear Admiral David D. Porter was obliged to retire after a
stubborn fight. His next experience in war was at the Battle of Fort Hindman
,
where they captured Fort Hindman after a hard battle of nine hours at short range.
Immediately after this victory he was promoted, on recommendation of Admiral Porter, to the rank of acting ensign. He participated in the exciting
episode of the running of the batteries at the Vicksburg, the
two engagements at Grand Gulf on the Mississippi, those of the second Yazoo Pass
and the Red River expeditions
, under
General Banks
, in which the troops and gunboats acted in conjunction.
Soon after the return of the fleet from the last Red River expedition
, Mr. Coffinberry was examined and promoted to the rank of acting master and executive officer of the Louisville
, and finally commanding officer of that gunboat. She was 160 feet long, 52 feet beam and drew 5½ feet of water. She was propelled by a recessed stern wheel, and was rated as a second or third class sloop of war. Her battery consisted of a 100-pound Parrott rifle, four nine- inch Dahlgren guns, six thirty-two-pound smooth-bores, two thirty-pound Parrott rifles and a twenty-four-pound howitzer. She carried 160 men and twenty-five officers.
At the close of the war he put the Louisville
out of commission, and was appointed to the command of the USS Fairy
, a position he held until the reconstruction of the South had assumed some definite shape, when he returned home. Admiral Porter tendered him support and influence in case he desired to continue his career in the navy. Preferring civil life in the years of peace, he declined, and was honorably discharged, with the thanks of the navy department.
Mr. Coffinberry soon became convinced of the utility of building iron and steel vessels. After a thorough investigation of the subject, taking into his counsel such veteran owners of lake craft as Capt. William Pringle, George W. Jones, J. W. Nicholas, Philip Minch and C. E. King., Coffinberry definened a new type of vessel for service on the Great Lakes
. These gentlemen also conveyed their conclusions to Gen. O. M. Poe, United States engineer, who then designed the locks
at the Sault Ste. Marie
to allow passage of vessels with 300 to 600 feet keels. Thus it was that Mr. Coffinberry, and these gentlemen became the pioneers of the modern lake freighter
. After founding the plant and laying the keel of the iron steamer Onoko, the firm was incorporated under the name of the Globe Ship Building Company, of which Mr. Coffinberry was chosen president and financial manager. After continuing business under these papers of incorporation, and building many iron and steel vessels, a difference arose between the old partners, and Messrs. Coffinberry, Wallace and Cowles sought to purchase the interest of Mr. Pankhurst. Failing in this, they sold their interests to Mr. M. A. Hanna
.
In the summer of 1886 Messrs. H. D. Coffinberry and Robert Wallace, with the assistance of a few of the enterprising vessel owners of Cleveland, purchased the plant of the old Cuyahoga Furnace Company. They increased the plant's capacity for general machine and foundry work, by building a large brick machine shop, a top story fronting on the viaduct, which contained the offices, and a brick boiler shop. They also built an extensive shipbuilding plant on the river front, capable of building four of the largest vessels per annum. They then announced themselves as ready for the construction of modern lake vessels. This company was incorporated as the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company in 1888 and later became the American Ship Building Company
. Mr. Coffinberry was chosen president and financial manager; Mr. Wallace, vice-president and general superintendent; William M. Fitch, secretary, and James Wallace, designing engineer.
Orders soon encouraged this new enterprise, and the company then decided to build a large dry dock, which was done and incorporated as the Ship Owners Dry Dock. This dock was large enough to receive the largest hulls then on the lakes; however it proved inadequate to accommodate the extensive demands made upon it, and a smaller dock, was sunk alongside of it. Mr. George Quayle was manager of these docks. This company also purchased the wooden shipyards of William Radcliffe, and was thus able to construct wooden vessels. After seeing these great results grow from small beginnings, and being content with the profits accruing, in 1893 Mr. Coffinberry retired to his home at Clifton Park, which was surrounded by a natural growth of forest trees, and overlooked Lake Erie
.
After Mr. Coffinberry's retirement, the Ship Owner's Dry Dock Co. was acquired by the Globe Shipbuilding Company in 1897. Eventually (1899) Globe Shipbuilding Company, Ship Owner's Dry Dock Company and Cleveland Ship Building Company were consolidated under the name American Ship Building Company
. This was after M. A. Hanna
acquired controlling interest in the companies.
Henry D. Coffinberry was also a member of the first board of five commissioners of Cleveland, a director of the State Bank and a member of the Board of Industry of Cleveland. He owned large interests in several of the best vessels on the lakes and much valuable suburban real estate, and considerable mineral land in the West. He was chosen a delegate to the National Democratic Convention on the gold platform in 1896. He was one of the citizen members appointed by the common pleas judges to assist county commissioners in building new county buildings.
, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. The Coffinberrys had three daughters, two of whom survived to adulthood: Nadine Morgan and Maria Duane. Mrs. Coffinberry is a descendant of the Duane and Morgan families of Revolutionary times - the friends and fellow patriots of George Washington
and Thomas Jefferson
.
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
industrialist from Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
,
Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Along with his partner, Robert Wallace, H. D. Coffinberry is considered one of the founding fathers of modern Great Lakes shipping. Following a memorable Civil War career on the ironclad gunboat Louisville
USS Louisville (1862)
USS Louisville was a City class ironclad gunboat constructed for the U.S. Army by James B. Eads during the American Civil War. [While initially owned by the Army, the City Class gunboats were commanded by U.S. Navy officers, and were eventually transferred to the Navy.]Louisville was built at St....
, Coffinberry returned to civilian life in Cleveland, Ohio. There he met Robert Wallace and together they built the first iron and steel hulled freighters to be used on the Great Lakes.
Coffinberry and Wallace were partners in both a foundry (Globe Iron Works) and a wooden shipbuilding firm, (Cleveland Dry Dock Company). Coffinberry became president of the Globe Ship Building Company in the early 1880s, which launched the first iron-hulled (Onoko, 1882) and steel-hulled (Spokene, 1886) Great Lakes freighters. After selling their share to M. A. Hanna, Coffinberry and several partners left Globe in 1886 to create the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company, followed by the Ship Owners Dry Dock Company. Coffinberry served as
president of the firms until retiring in 1893. He was also an investor in the Elwell
Parker Electric Motor Company of America, formed in 1893 to produce electric motors
for bulk cargo handling. By 1899 the firm produced motors for battery-driven
automobiles, but the company earned its reputation after 1906 as a manufacturer of
electric industrial trucks to more efficiently move baggage and cargo at train
terminals and shipping ports.
Coffinberry died January 17, 1912.
Early life
Henry D. Coffinberry was born in Maumee, OhioMaumee, Ohio
Maumee is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Toledo along the Maumee River. The population was 14,286 at the 2010 census. Maumee was also declared an All-America City by the National Civic League in June 2006.-Geography:...
, October 12, 1841 (some records list his birth as October 14, 1841). He was the son of Judge James M. Coffinberry, of Cleveland, and Anna M. Coffinberry, who was a direct descendant of Thomas Fitch, colonial governor of Rhode Island, and related to John Fitch, the inventor who was the first to apply steam to navigation. Other members of the family were ship owners and masters of vessels. Mr. Coffinberry's father, the Judge, was a descendant of Andrew Coffinberry, a lawyer and geologist of some fame and a patriot of distinction, having served in the Federal navy under Bainbridge and Hull in the War of 1812.
Henry D. Coffinberry graduated from West High School of Cleveland, Ohio. During his school years he had many opportunities to learn the art of handling yachts and other small boats.
Civil War
Wanting to serve in the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, when he was eighteen years of age Coffinberry obtained the reluctant consent from his parents to join the navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
. He shipped as an ordinary seaman at Erie, Penn.; he was then sent to the receiving ship Clara Dolson, at Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
, where he was promoted on the recommendation of Commanders Pennock and Phelps, to master's mate
Master's mate
Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the master...
, and reported to Lieutenant Commander Richard W. Mead
Richard Worsam Meade
Richard Worsam Meade III was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, on the ironclad gunboat Louisville
USS Louisville (1862)
USS Louisville was a City class ironclad gunboat constructed for the U.S. Army by James B. Eads during the American Civil War. [While initially owned by the Army, the City Class gunboats were commanded by U.S. Navy officers, and were eventually transferred to the Navy.]Louisville was built at St....
. She was one of the six original ironclad steamers constructed by General Fremont on the Mississippi river at the breaking out of the war, and known as the "Fremont Turtles
City class ironclad
The Pook Turtles, or City class gunboats to use their semi-official name, were war vessels intended for service on the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. They were also sometimes referred to as "Eads gunboats." The labels are applied to seven vessels of uniform design built from...
."
The first engagement in which he participated was that of Haines Bluff, where the
fleet under command of Rear Admiral David D. Porter was obliged to retire after a
stubborn fight. His next experience in war was at the Battle of Fort Hindman
Battle of Fort Hindman
The Battle of Fort Hindman, or the Battle of Arkansas Post, was fought January 9–11, 1863, near the mouth of the Arkansas River at Arkansas Post, Arkansas, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War.-Background:...
,
where they captured Fort Hindman after a hard battle of nine hours at short range.
Immediately after this victory he was promoted, on recommendation of Admiral Porter, to the rank of acting ensign. He participated in the exciting
episode of the running of the batteries at the Vicksburg, the
two engagements at Grand Gulf on the Mississippi, those of the second Yazoo Pass
Vicksburg Campaign
The Vicksburg Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi River. The Union Army of the Tennessee under Maj. Gen....
and the Red River expeditions
Red River Campaign
The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
, under
General Banks
Nathaniel Prentice Banks
Nathaniel Prentice Banks was an American politician and soldier, served as the 24th Governor of Massachusetts, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and as a Union general during the American Civil War....
, in which the troops and gunboats acted in conjunction.
Soon after the return of the fleet from the last Red River expedition
Red River Campaign
The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
, Mr. Coffinberry was examined and promoted to the rank of acting master and executive officer of the Louisville
USS Louisville (1862)
USS Louisville was a City class ironclad gunboat constructed for the U.S. Army by James B. Eads during the American Civil War. [While initially owned by the Army, the City Class gunboats were commanded by U.S. Navy officers, and were eventually transferred to the Navy.]Louisville was built at St....
, and finally commanding officer of that gunboat. She was 160 feet long, 52 feet beam and drew 5½ feet of water. She was propelled by a recessed stern wheel, and was rated as a second or third class sloop of war. Her battery consisted of a 100-pound Parrott rifle, four nine- inch Dahlgren guns, six thirty-two-pound smooth-bores, two thirty-pound Parrott rifles and a twenty-four-pound howitzer. She carried 160 men and twenty-five officers.
At the close of the war he put the Louisville
USS Louisville (1862)
USS Louisville was a City class ironclad gunboat constructed for the U.S. Army by James B. Eads during the American Civil War. [While initially owned by the Army, the City Class gunboats were commanded by U.S. Navy officers, and were eventually transferred to the Navy.]Louisville was built at St....
out of commission, and was appointed to the command of the USS Fairy
USS Fairy (1861)
USS Fairy was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways...
, a position he held until the reconstruction of the South had assumed some definite shape, when he returned home. Admiral Porter tendered him support and influence in case he desired to continue his career in the navy. Preferring civil life in the years of peace, he declined, and was honorably discharged, with the thanks of the navy department.
Foundry and Ship Building Career
Shortly after receiving his discharge from the service of the United States Government, Coffinberry engaged in mercantile business as a partner of Messrs. Leavitt & Crane in founding a carriage and wagon axle manufactory in Cleveland, Ohio. After a time he sold out his interest in this firm and bought a fourth-interest in a small machine shop, doing business under the firm name of Robert Wallace & Co., (John F. Pankhurst and Arthur Sawtel being the company). Mr. Sawtel soon sold his interest to the company, who carried on the business for three years with considerable success. In 1869 they purchased the interests of William Bowler, Robert Cartwright and Robert Sanderson in the Globe Iron Works, Mr. John B. Cowles retaining his interest and joining the new firm. Mr. Coffinberry was chosen financial manager of this firm as he had been of the firm of Robert Wallace & Co. As this new business proved successful, the firm was soon able to purchase a half- interest in the Cleveland Dry Dock Company. Mr. George Presley, owner of the other half- interest, remained manager and Mr. Coffinberry assumed charge of the financial end of the business. The firm as thus constituted engaged in the construction of wooden ships.Mr. Coffinberry soon became convinced of the utility of building iron and steel vessels. After a thorough investigation of the subject, taking into his counsel such veteran owners of lake craft as Capt. William Pringle, George W. Jones, J. W. Nicholas, Philip Minch and C. E. King., Coffinberry definened a new type of vessel for service on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. These gentlemen also conveyed their conclusions to Gen. O. M. Poe, United States engineer, who then designed the locks
Soo Locks
The Soo Locks are a set of parallel locks which enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. They are located on the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, between the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario...
at the Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
to allow passage of vessels with 300 to 600 feet keels. Thus it was that Mr. Coffinberry, and these gentlemen became the pioneers of the modern lake freighter
Lake freighter
Lake freighters, or Lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that ply the Great Lakes. The best known was the , the most recent and largest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the...
. After founding the plant and laying the keel of the iron steamer Onoko, the firm was incorporated under the name of the Globe Ship Building Company, of which Mr. Coffinberry was chosen president and financial manager. After continuing business under these papers of incorporation, and building many iron and steel vessels, a difference arose between the old partners, and Messrs. Coffinberry, Wallace and Cowles sought to purchase the interest of Mr. Pankhurst. Failing in this, they sold their interests to Mr. M. A. Hanna
Mark Hanna
Marcus Alonzo "Mark" Hanna was a United States Senator from Ohio and the friend and political manager of President William McKinley...
.
In the summer of 1886 Messrs. H. D. Coffinberry and Robert Wallace, with the assistance of a few of the enterprising vessel owners of Cleveland, purchased the plant of the old Cuyahoga Furnace Company. They increased the plant's capacity for general machine and foundry work, by building a large brick machine shop, a top story fronting on the viaduct, which contained the offices, and a brick boiler shop. They also built an extensive shipbuilding plant on the river front, capable of building four of the largest vessels per annum. They then announced themselves as ready for the construction of modern lake vessels. This company was incorporated as the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company in 1888 and later became the American Ship Building Company
American Ship Building Company
The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the Second World War. It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain, Ohio in 1898...
. Mr. Coffinberry was chosen president and financial manager; Mr. Wallace, vice-president and general superintendent; William M. Fitch, secretary, and James Wallace, designing engineer.
Orders soon encouraged this new enterprise, and the company then decided to build a large dry dock, which was done and incorporated as the Ship Owners Dry Dock. This dock was large enough to receive the largest hulls then on the lakes; however it proved inadequate to accommodate the extensive demands made upon it, and a smaller dock, was sunk alongside of it. Mr. George Quayle was manager of these docks. This company also purchased the wooden shipyards of William Radcliffe, and was thus able to construct wooden vessels. After seeing these great results grow from small beginnings, and being content with the profits accruing, in 1893 Mr. Coffinberry retired to his home at Clifton Park, which was surrounded by a natural growth of forest trees, and overlooked Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
.
After Mr. Coffinberry's retirement, the Ship Owner's Dry Dock Co. was acquired by the Globe Shipbuilding Company in 1897. Eventually (1899) Globe Shipbuilding Company, Ship Owner's Dry Dock Company and Cleveland Ship Building Company were consolidated under the name American Ship Building Company
American Ship Building Company
The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the Second World War. It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain, Ohio in 1898...
. This was after M. A. Hanna
Mark Hanna
Marcus Alonzo "Mark" Hanna was a United States Senator from Ohio and the friend and political manager of President William McKinley...
acquired controlling interest in the companies.
Henry D. Coffinberry was also a member of the first board of five commissioners of Cleveland, a director of the State Bank and a member of the Board of Industry of Cleveland. He owned large interests in several of the best vessels on the lakes and much valuable suburban real estate, and considerable mineral land in the West. He was chosen a delegate to the National Democratic Convention on the gold platform in 1896. He was one of the citizen members appointed by the common pleas judges to assist county commissioners in building new county buildings.
Family
On April 7, 1875, Mr. H. D. Coffinberry was wedded to Miss Harriet Duane Morgan, daughter of General George W. MorganGeorge W. Morgan
George Washington Morgan was an American soldier, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He fought in the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War, and was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. The Coffinberrys had three daughters, two of whom survived to adulthood: Nadine Morgan and Maria Duane. Mrs. Coffinberry is a descendant of the Duane and Morgan families of Revolutionary times - the friends and fellow patriots of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
.