John F. Winslow
Encyclopedia
John Flack Winslow was a nineteenth century businessman and iron manufacturer who was the fifth president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
.
He was born on November 10, 1810 in Bennington, Vermont, and was a direct descendant of Kenelm Winslow, brother of Edward Winslow
, a Mayflower
colonist and a governor of Plymouth Colony
. John Winslow worked as a clerk in a commission house until he was 21. In 1831, he joined the New Jersey Iron Company as a manager in the Boston office. In 1933 (1833?), he started his own business, making pig iron in Bergen
and Sussex
counties in New Jersey. In 1837, he and Erastus Corning
started a partnership to produce iron. Their partnership lasted for about thirty years. They owned the Rensselaer Iron Works and the Albany Iron Works, which were the largest producers of iron in the United States. When Corning gained control of the Lulworth Iron company in Mount Savage, Maryland, he made Winslow the President. In 1863, they sent Alexander Lyman Holley
to learn more about the Bessemer process
and they also obtained the US rights to the Bessemer patents. They started the production of Bessemer steel in 1865.
Starting in 1861, Winslow and his business partner John Griswold
worked with John Ericsson
to build the USS Monitor
. After the naval board had not approved Ericsson's proposal for the ironclad warship, Griswold and Winslow met with President Lincoln personally to advocate for its construction. Lincoln then arranged a meeting with them in the office of the Secretary of the Navy. During subsequent meetings, the Navy resisted the project but finally approved but without funding on October 4, 1861. Largely out of frustration, Winslow arranged to finance the project himself, at a cost of $275,000.
After the signing of the contract, construction began rapidly. Interim reimbursements were made by the Navy during construction but by the time of the battle the final payments had not been made. Therefore, the Monitor remained the property of the de facto lien holder, John Flack Winslow. Some of the iron for the Monitor was produced at the Albany Iron Works in Troy. The ship was launched 101 days from the signing of the contract, in time to defend the Union blockade during the Battle of Hampton Roads
. Along with John Ericsson, Griswold and Winslow received much praise for their efforts in producing the Monitor. They also received contracts
for additional ironclad warships.
In 1865, he was appointed president of Rensselaer. He continued in this position until 1868. Unlike the previous university presidents, he did not have a background as a pastor. He was also a director of several banks and the director and president of the Poughkeepsie and Eastern Railroad. The Winslow Chemical Laboratory
, built in 1866, was named in honor of his donation of half the construction cost and his enterprise on behalf of the Institute. The building was added to the US National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Winslow died on March 10, 1892 in Poughkeepsie, New York
.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
.
He was born on November 10, 1810 in Bennington, Vermont, and was a direct descendant of Kenelm Winslow, brother of Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow was an English Pilgrim leader on the Mayflower. He served as the governor of Plymouth Colony in 1633, 1636, and finally in 1644...
, a Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
colonist and a governor of Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
. John Winslow worked as a clerk in a commission house until he was 21. In 1831, he joined the New Jersey Iron Company as a manager in the Boston office. In 1933 (1833?), he started his own business, making pig iron in Bergen
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
and Sussex
Sussex County, New Jersey
The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...
counties in New Jersey. In 1837, he and Erastus Corning
Erastus Corning
Erastus Corning I , American businessman and politician, was born in Norwich, Connecticut. Corning moved to Troy, New York at the age of 13 to clerk in the hardware store of an uncle; six years later he moved to Albany, New York, where he joined the mercantile business under James Spencer...
started a partnership to produce iron. Their partnership lasted for about thirty years. They owned the Rensselaer Iron Works and the Albany Iron Works, which were the largest producers of iron in the United States. When Corning gained control of the Lulworth Iron company in Mount Savage, Maryland, he made Winslow the President. In 1863, they sent Alexander Lyman Holley
Alexander Lyman Holley
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...
to learn more about 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...
and they also obtained the US rights to the Bessemer patents. They started the production of Bessemer steel in 1865.
Starting in 1861, Winslow and his business partner John Griswold
John Augustus Griswold
John Augustus Griswold Nassau, Rensselaer County, New York - October 31, 1872 Troy, Rensselaer County, New York) was an American businessman and politician from New York. His father the Hon...
worked with John Ericsson
John Ericsson
John Ericsson was a Swedish-American inventor and mechanical engineer, as was his brother Nils Ericson. He was born at Långbanshyttan in Värmland, Sweden, but primarily came to be active in England and the United States...
to build the USS Monitor
USS Monitor
USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads...
. After the naval board had not approved Ericsson's proposal for the ironclad warship, Griswold and Winslow met with President Lincoln personally to advocate for its construction. Lincoln then arranged a meeting with them in the office of the Secretary of the Navy. During subsequent meetings, the Navy resisted the project but finally approved but without funding on October 4, 1861. Largely out of frustration, Winslow arranged to finance the project himself, at a cost of $275,000.
After the signing of the contract, construction began rapidly. Interim reimbursements were made by the Navy during construction but by the time of the battle the final payments had not been made. Therefore, the Monitor remained the property of the de facto lien holder, John Flack Winslow. Some of the iron for the Monitor was produced at the Albany Iron Works in Troy. The ship was launched 101 days from the signing of the contract, in time to defend the Union blockade during the Battle of Hampton Roads
Battle of Hampton Roads
The Battle of Hampton Roads, often referred to as either the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack or the Battle of Ironclads, was the most noted and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies...
. Along with John Ericsson, Griswold and Winslow received much praise for their efforts in producing the Monitor. They also received contracts
for additional ironclad warships.
In 1865, he was appointed president of Rensselaer. He continued in this position until 1868. Unlike the previous university presidents, he did not have a background as a pastor. He was also a director of several banks and the director and president of the Poughkeepsie and Eastern Railroad. The Winslow Chemical Laboratory
Winslow Chemical Laboratory
The Winslow Chemical Laboratory was a laboratory of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus in Troy, New York, United States, which finished construction in 1866. It is named in honor of the 5th President of RPI, John F. Winslow, who donated half of the construction cost...
, built in 1866, was named in honor of his donation of half the construction cost and his enterprise on behalf of the Institute. The building was added to the US National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Winslow died on March 10, 1892 in Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
.