Hilborne Roosevelt
Encyclopedia
Hilborne Lewis Roosevelt (December 21, 1849 – December 30, 1886) was a pioneering organ
builder and a member of the Roosevelt family
.
He was born in Panama city, Florida
to Silas Weir Roosevelt, a son of Cornelius Roosevelt
. He was thus a cousin of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
.
He did not take to either of the traditional Roosevelt family occupations, business or politics. Instead, he was musically and mechanically inclined and wanted to be an organ builder from early childhood. His relatives frowned upon a mechanical occupation, but when he began to make money, his family was reassured. Roosevelt entered an organ factory in early youth, and studied the trade in Europe from an artistic standpoint.
He was particularly interested in the electric organ
, and was one of the first to study the application of new electrical devices to the manufacture of organs. He took out the first patent in the United States
for an electric organ when he was 20, and built the first electric organ in the United States for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Though primarily interested in the technical aspects, he had a good deal of business acumen as well, establishing factories in New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore
. Hilborne organized the Roosevelt Pipe Organ Builders
with his brother Frank, and built some of the largest organs in the United States during his career.
He was also widely known among electricians for inventing several details of the telephone including the automatic switch-hook, for which he received royalties for many years, and held an interest in the Bell Telephone Company
.
He married Kate Shippen on February 1, 1883 and had one child, Dorothy Quincy Roosevelt (born 1884). He died at the young age of 37 on December 30, 1886.
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
builder and a member of the Roosevelt family
Roosevelt family
In heraldry, canting arms are a visual or pictorial play on a surname, and were and still are a popular practice. It would be common to find roses, then, in arms of many Roosevelt families, even unrelated ones...
.
He was born in Panama city, Florida
Panama City, Florida
-Personal income:The median income for a household in the city was $31,572, and the median income for a family was $40,890. Males had a median income of $30,401 versus $21,431 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,830...
to Silas Weir Roosevelt, a son of Cornelius Roosevelt
Cornelius Roosevelt
Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt was an American businessman from New York City and a member of the Roosevelt family.-Biography:...
. He was thus a cousin of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
.
He did not take to either of the traditional Roosevelt family occupations, business or politics. Instead, he was musically and mechanically inclined and wanted to be an organ builder from early childhood. His relatives frowned upon a mechanical occupation, but when he began to make money, his family was reassured. Roosevelt entered an organ factory in early youth, and studied the trade in Europe from an artistic standpoint.
He was particularly interested in the electric organ
Electric organ
In biology, the electric organ is an organ common to all electric fish used for the purposes of creating an electric field. The electric organ is derived from modified nerve or muscle tissue...
, and was one of the first to study the application of new electrical devices to the manufacture of organs. He took out the first patent in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for an electric organ when he was 20, and built the first electric organ in the United States for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Though primarily interested in the technical aspects, he had a good deal of business acumen as well, establishing factories in New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. Hilborne organized the Roosevelt Pipe Organ Builders
Roosevelt Pipe Organ Builders
Hilborne Roosevelt and his younger brother Frank Roosevelt organized the Roosevelt Pipe Organ Builders in the 1880s. The brothers built some of the largest organs in the United States during their career, and many today are prized for their quality and tone...
with his brother Frank, and built some of the largest organs in the United States during his career.
He was also widely known among electricians for inventing several details of the telephone including the automatic switch-hook, for which he received royalties for many years, and held an interest in the Bell Telephone Company
Bell Telephone Company
The Bell Telephone Company, a common law joint stock company, was organized in Boston, Massachusetts on July 9, 1877 by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who also helped organize a sister company — the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company...
.
He married Kate Shippen on February 1, 1883 and had one child, Dorothy Quincy Roosevelt (born 1884). He died at the young age of 37 on December 30, 1886.