Samuel Owen

Samuel Owen

Samuel Owen, born may 12, 1774 in Norton in Hales, Shropshire, England, died February 15, 1854 in Stockholm, was a British-Swedish engineer, inventor and industrialist. Samuel Owen moved to Sweden in 1807 and founded in 1809 a workshop in Stockholm that produced all kinds of mechanical components for the industry.

Family: He was married three times; First in England with Ann Spen Toft, then 1817 in Sweden with Beata Carolina Svedell. Beata died 1822. Soon after he married Johanna Magdalena Elisabeth (1797-1880), also called "Lisette" (probably a children's name for Elisabeth). She was born Strindberg and was an aunt to August Strindberg. In total he had 17 children with his three wives.

His first trip to Sweden was in 1804 to assist with the installation of four steam engines that were ordered from Sweden, intended for industrial use, that had been sold by the company Fenton, Murray & Wood’s in Leeds in England where Owen was employed at that time. The first engine was installed in the autumn 1804 in a textile factory at Lidingö outside Stockholm to replace horses that were used to drive the machines in the factory. After that installation work he went back to England but was asked once again in 1806 to come back to help in setting up another engine. 1807 he decided to stay in Sweden and in 1809 he opened his own workshop 'Kungsholmens Mekaniska Verkstad', situated at Kungsholmen in Stockholm. A street at Kungsholmen close to Stockholm City Hall is named after Samuel Owen, 'Samuel Owens gata'. Two of the original buildings that formed his workshop still remain.

Samuel Owen was also engaged in the development of steam engine driven ships and was the first person in Sweden to built a ship with a steam engine. His first ship was called Amphitrite, built in 1818 at his shipyard close the the work shop, had a steam engine with 6 hp. His new steam ship was a sensation for the people around the waters around Stockholm but many were also skeptical of the new "fire and air engines" that required a lot of wood for the steam boiler. He also carried out tests with early type of propellers. In July 1816 he presented the first propeller driven steamship "The Witch of Stockholm". These early propeller designs, however, required many years before they came into practical use. The steamships in those days were normally driven by paddle wheels.

He became one of the most recognized engineers and industrialists in Sweden. In 1843 he faced severe financial problems. His company was sold in 1844 and he became almost bankrupt. The government then decided to give him a lifetime pension with the motivation that he had made many important contribution for the development of the Swedish industry. However he continued to work and was employed for some years at a company in Södertälje, but in 1853 he became sick and died in February 1854.

Samuel Owen has been called "the founder of the Swedish mechanical industry".

Source

* [http://runeberg.org/wiesminn/0213.html Article about Samuel Owen from 1889, Project Runeberg] .


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Owen Owen — For the Welsh headmaster and school inspector, see Owen Owen (school inspector). Owen Owen Ltd Type Retail Industry Retail Genre Department Store Founded 1868 Founder(s) …   Wikipedia

  • Owen Graduate School of Management — Established 1969 Type Private Endowment $279 million (June 30, 2008) …   Wikipedia

  • Samuel M. Steward — Samuel Morris Steward (* 23. Juli 1909 in Woodsfield, Ohio; † 31. Dezember 1993 in Berkeley, Kalifornien) war ein US amerikanischer Schriftsteller (Pseudonym Phil Andros) und Tätowierer (Pseudonym Phil Sparrow). Er wurde vor allem durch seine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Samuel Steward — Samuel Morris Steward (* 23. Juli 1909 in Woodsfield, Ohio; † 31. Dezember 1993 in Berkeley, Kalifornien; Pseudonym Phil Andros) war ein US amerikanischer Schriftsteller und Tätowierer. Er wurde vor allem durch seine unter dem Pseudonym Phil… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Samuel butler (1835-1902) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Samuel Butler. Samuel Butler (1835 1902) Samuel Butler (1835 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Owen Chase — Born December 1798 United States Died March 8, 1869(1869 03 08) (aged 70) Occupation …   Wikipedia

  • Samuel Standidge Boden — (* 4. April 1826 in Hull; † 13. Januar 1882 in London) war ein englischer Schachmeister des 19. Jahrhunderts. Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Samuel M. Ralston — Samuel Ralston Samuel Moffett Ralston (* 1. Dezember 1857 in New Cumberland, Tuscarawas County, Ohio; † 14. Oktober 1925 in Lebanon, Indiana) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker und zwischen 1913 und 1917 der 28. Gouverneur von Indiana …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Samuel Moffett Ralston — Samuel Ralston Samuel Moffett Ralston (* 1. Dezember 1857 in New Cumberland, Tuscarawas County, Ohio; † 14. Oktober 1925 in Lebanon, Indiana) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker und zwischen 1913 und 1917 der 28. Gouverneur von Indiana …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Samuel Hoare — Samuel John Gurney Hoare, 1. Viscount Templewood (* 24. Februar 1880 in London; † 7. Mai 1959 ebenda) allgemein bekannter als Sir Samuel Hoare, war ein konservativer britischer Politiker, der zahlreichen konservativen nationalen Regierungen der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”