Alexander Lyman Holley
Encyclopedia
Alexander Lyman Holley was a mechanical engineer and was considered the foremost steel
and plant engineer and designer of his time, especially in regard to applying research to modern steel manufacturing processes. He received 15 patent
s, 10 for improvements in the Bessemer process
, which he purchased the rights to in 1863 and brought to the United States. He soon designed and built Bessemer plants in Troy, New York
, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
. He planned or was consulted on a dozen others.
He chaired the first meeting of the founders of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME) in the offices of the American Machinist on 16 February 1880, and is credited for establishing the intellectual boundaries of the mechanical engineering profession and ASME. He was born in Lakeville, Connecticut
and attended Brown University
. He died in Brooklyn, New York.
During his early 20s, Holley was a close friend of Zerah Colburn
, the well-known locomotive engineer and journalist/publisher. In 1857, the two visited Britain and France and compiled a report for the presidents of American railroads, The Permanent Way. In 1860, the two traveled together on the maiden voyage of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
's Great Eastern
. Holley's most famous book, Armor, followed a visit he made to Britain in 1863 when he again met Zerah Colburn. He received many honors, including being made an honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
in 1892; and in 1890 a monument was unveiled in Washington Square Park, New York bearing a bust of him.
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and plant engineer and designer of his time, especially in regard to applying research to modern steel manufacturing processes. He received 15 patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s, 10 for improvements in the Bessemer process
Bessemer process
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron. The process is named after its inventor, Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the process in 1855. The process was independently discovered in 1851 by William Kelly...
, which he purchased the rights to in 1863 and brought to the United States. He soon designed and built Bessemer plants in Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. He planned or was consulted on a dozen others.
He chaired the first meeting of the founders of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
(ASME) in the offices of the American Machinist on 16 February 1880, and is credited for establishing the intellectual boundaries of the mechanical engineering profession and ASME. He was born in Lakeville, Connecticut
Lakeville, Connecticut
Lakeville is a village and census-designated place in the town of Salisbury in Litchfield County, Connecticut, on Lake Wononskopomuc. The village includes Lakeville Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district represents about of the village center...
and attended Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. He died in Brooklyn, New York.
During his early 20s, Holley was a close friend of Zerah Colburn
Zerah Colburn (locomotive designer)
Zerah Colburn was an American engineer specialising in steam locomotive design, technical journalist and publisher.- Career :Without any formal schooling, Colburn was a teenage prodigy...
, the well-known locomotive engineer and journalist/publisher. In 1857, the two visited Britain and France and compiled a report for the presidents of American railroads, The Permanent Way. In 1860, the two traveled together on the maiden voyage of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
's Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steam ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built by J. Scott Russell & Co. at Millwall on the River Thames, London. She was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers around the...
. Holley's most famous book, Armor, followed a visit he made to Britain in 1863 when he again met Zerah Colburn. He received many honors, including being made an honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
in 1892; and in 1890 a monument was unveiled in Washington Square Park, New York bearing a bust of him.