William Sellers
Encyclopedia
William Sellers was a mechanical engineer, manufacturer, businessperson, and inventor who filed more than 90 patents, most notably the design for the United States standard screw thread
. As president of the Franklin Institute
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, Sellers proposed the adoption of a system of screw threads which was easier for ordinary mechanics and machinists to cut than a similar design by Joseph Whitworth
. For many years, he led the machine tool
firm of William Sellers & Co., which was very influential in its field during the latter half of the 19th century.
(1827–1907), a five-term president of the Franklin Institute, who was instrumental in harnessing Niagara Falls
for electricity.
Sellers was married in 1849 to Mary Ferris (1820–1870), with whom he had three children, Katherine (1852–1917), William (1856–1933), and Frances (1858–1859). He married again in 1873 to Amélie Haaszm (1842–1929), with whom he had another three children, Alexander (1875–1957), Richard (1881–1942), and Christine (1882–-1884). He died in his hometown on January 24, 1905 at the age of 81.
After receiving a private education in a family-run school, he began apprenticing at age fourteen with his uncle, J. Morton Poole, in a machine shop near Wilmington, Delaware
. After seven years, he moved to Providence, Rhode Island
to run the shops of what eventually became the Corliss Steam Engine
Company. Returning to West Philadelphia to start his own machine company, he eventually formed a partnership with his brother-in-law Edward Bancroft (1811–1855) in 1848. After Bancroft's death in 1855, Sellers incorporated as William Sellers & Co., which continued to operate until 1947 when it was sold to the Consolidated Machine Tool Corporation and relocated to Rochester, New York
.
In 1847 Sellers was elected a member of the Franklin Institute, where he served as a member of the Board of Managers from 1857 to 1861 and again from 1864 to 1892, and as president from 1864 to 1867.
At a meeting on September 15, 1864, he presented a uniform system of screw threads which with its angle and its flat top and bottom differed from Whitworth's British standard. Within a few years, the system had been adopted by the government workshops, leading railroad companies, prominent machine tool builders and others, under the various names of the United States, Sellers, or Franklin Institute Systems.
United States Standard thread
United States Standard thread , also known as Sellers Standard thread, Franklin Institute thread and American Standard thread, is a standard for inch based threaded fasteners and washers....
. As president of the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
in 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,...
, Sellers proposed the adoption of a system of screw threads which was easier for ordinary mechanics and machinists to cut than a similar design by Joseph Whitworth
Joseph Whitworth
Sir Joseph Whitworth, 1st Baronet was an English engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist. In 1841, he devised the British Standard Whitworth system, which created an accepted standard for screw threads...
. For many years, he led the machine tool
Machine tool
A machine tool is a machine, typically powered other than by human muscle , used to make manufactured parts in various ways that include cutting or certain other kinds of deformation...
firm of William Sellers & Co., which was very influential in its field during the latter half of the 19th century.
Family
Sellers was born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania to John and Elizabeth (Poole) Sellers, into a Quaker family full of industrial and manufacturing innovators. His cousins include George Escol Sellers (1808–1899), an inventor holding patents for a hill-climbing locomotive, a pulp-paper process, converting steamboats to coal, and removing brine from salt water, and Coleman Sellers IIColeman Sellers II
Coleman Sellers II was a prominent American engineer and inventor.-Early life:Sellers was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 28, 1827. He was the youngest son of Coleman and Sophonisba Sellers and a direct descendant of Samuel Sellers, who in 1682 received one of the first grants of land...
(1827–1907), a five-term president of the Franklin Institute, who was instrumental in harnessing Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
for electricity.
Sellers was married in 1849 to Mary Ferris (1820–1870), with whom he had three children, Katherine (1852–1917), William (1856–1933), and Frances (1858–1859). He married again in 1873 to Amélie Haaszm (1842–1929), with whom he had another three children, Alexander (1875–1957), Richard (1881–1942), and Christine (1882–-1884). He died in his hometown on January 24, 1905 at the age of 81.
Career
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
. After seven years, he moved to Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
to run the shops of what eventually became the Corliss Steam Engine
Corliss Steam Engine
A Corliss steam engine is a steam engine, fitted with rotary valves and with variable valve timing patented in 1849, invented by and named after the American engineer George Henry Corliss in Providence, Rhode Island....
Company. Returning to West Philadelphia to start his own machine company, he eventually formed a partnership with his brother-in-law Edward Bancroft (1811–1855) in 1848. After Bancroft's death in 1855, Sellers incorporated as William Sellers & Co., which continued to operate until 1947 when it was sold to the Consolidated Machine Tool Corporation and relocated to Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
.
In 1847 Sellers was elected a member of the Franklin Institute, where he served as a member of the Board of Managers from 1857 to 1861 and again from 1864 to 1892, and as president from 1864 to 1867.
At a meeting on September 15, 1864, he presented a uniform system of screw threads which with its angle and its flat top and bottom differed from Whitworth's British standard. Within a few years, the system had been adopted by the government workshops, leading railroad companies, prominent machine tool builders and others, under the various names of the United States, Sellers, or Franklin Institute Systems.
Positions
- American Philosophical SocietyAmerican Philosophical SocietyThe American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
- elected member (1864) - Franklin Institute - elected president (1864)
- University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
- elected trustee (1866) - Fairmount ParkFairmount ParkFairmount Park is the municipal park system of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It consists of 63 parks, with , all overseen by the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, successor to the Fairmount Park Commission in 2010.-Fairmount Park proper:...
- appointed member of the first commission (1868) - Edgemoor Iron Company - elected president (1868)
- Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore RailroadPhiladelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore RailroadThe Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad was the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania southwest to Baltimore, Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
- elected director (1868) - Philadelphia and Reading Railroad - director
- Centennial ExpositionCentennial ExpositionThe Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was officially...
, Board of Finance - elected vice-president (1873) - William Butcher Steel Works (reorganized it as Midvale Steel CompanyMidvale SteelMidvale Steel was a succession of steel-making corporations whose flagship plant was the Midvale Steel Works at Nicetown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which operated from 1867 until 1976...
) - president (1873–87) - National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
in Washington - elected member (1873) - Société d’encouragement pour l’industrie nationale in Paris - appointed member (1875)
Awards
- Paris Exposition of 1867Exposition Universelle (1867)The Exposition Universelle of 1867 was a World Exposition held in Paris, France, in 1867.-Conception:In 1864, Emperor Napoleon III decreed that an international exposition should be held in Paris in 1867. A commission was appointed with Prince Jerome Napoleon as president, under whose direction...
- gold medal - Vienna Exposition of 1873Weltausstellung 1873 Wien]The Weltausstellung 1873 Wien was the large World exposition was held in 1873 in the Austria–Hungarian capital of Vienna. Its motto was Kultur und Erziehung ....
- Grand Diploma of Honor and five gold medals - Paris Exposition of 1889Exposition Universelle (1889)The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a World's Fair held in Paris, France from 6 May to 31 October 1889.It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event traditionally considered as the symbol for the beginning of the French Revolution...
- Grand Prix, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...