Moses Yale Beach
Encyclopedia
Moses Yale Beach was an American
inventor and publisher who started the Associated Press
.
. His father was a plain farmer, and gave him an ordinary education. He early showed a mechanical aptitude, and at 14 was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker. Before his term was up, he purchased his freedom and established a cabinet making business in Northampton, Massachusetts
. The business failed, and he moved to Springfield
. There he endeavored to manufacture a gunpowder engine for propelling balloons; but this enterprise was also a failure. He next attempted to open steam navigation on Connecticut river between Hartford and Springfield, and would have succeeded if financial difficulties had not obliged him to cease operations before his steamer was completed.
He then invented a rag-cutting machine for paper mill
s. The invention was widely used, but Beach derived no pecuniary benefit due to his tardiness in applying for a patent. He then settled in Ulster County, New York
, where he invested in an extensive paper mill. At first he was successful, and after six years was wealthy; but after seven years an imprudent investment dispersed his fortune, and he was compelled to abandon his enterprise.
In the meantime though, he had married the sister of the founder and proprietor of the New York Sun
, Benjamin Day. In 1835, he acquired an interest in the paper, then small, both in the size of its sheet and circulation. And with a $40,000 payment, he soon became sole proprietor.
During the Mexican–American War
, U.S. President James K. Polk
sent him to Mexico to arrange a treaty of peace; but the negotiations were broken off by a false report announcing the defeat of General Zachary Taylor
by Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna
.
He retired in 1857 with an ample fortune, and left the paper to his sons. He then returned to Wallingford. He was married twice and left five sons, Moses Sperry, Henry, Alfred Ely
, Joseph and William, and one daughter.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventor and publisher who started the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
.
Biography
He was born in Wallingford, ConnecticutWallingford, Connecticut
Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 43,026 at the 2000 census.- History :Wallingford was established on October 10, 1667, when the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the "making of a village on the east river" to 38 planters and freemen...
. His father was a plain farmer, and gave him an ordinary education. He early showed a mechanical aptitude, and at 14 was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker. Before his term was up, he purchased his freedom and established a cabinet making business in Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
. The business failed, and he moved to Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. There he endeavored to manufacture a gunpowder engine for propelling balloons; but this enterprise was also a failure. He next attempted to open steam navigation on Connecticut river between Hartford and Springfield, and would have succeeded if financial difficulties had not obliged him to cease operations before his steamer was completed.
He then invented a rag-cutting machine for paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
s. The invention was widely used, but Beach derived no pecuniary benefit due to his tardiness in applying for a patent. He then settled in Ulster County, New York
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
, where he invested in an extensive paper mill. At first he was successful, and after six years was wealthy; but after seven years an imprudent investment dispersed his fortune, and he was compelled to abandon his enterprise.
In the meantime though, he had married the sister of the founder and proprietor of the New York Sun
New York Sun (historical)
The Sun was a New York newspaper that was published from 1833 until 1950. It was considered a serious paper, like the city's two more successful broadsheets, The New York Times and the New York Herald Tribune...
, Benjamin Day. In 1835, he acquired an interest in the paper, then small, both in the size of its sheet and circulation. And with a $40,000 payment, he soon became sole proprietor.
During the Mexican–American War
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
, U.S. President James K. Polk
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
sent him to Mexico to arrange a treaty of peace; but the negotiations were broken off by a false report announcing the defeat of General Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
by Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
.
He retired in 1857 with an ample fortune, and left the paper to his sons. He then returned to Wallingford. He was married twice and left five sons, Moses Sperry, Henry, Alfred Ely
Alfred Ely Beach
Alfred Ely Beach was an American inventor, publisher and patent lawyer, born in Springfield, Massachusetts.-Early years:Beach was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and was the son of a prominent publisher, Moses Beach...
, Joseph and William, and one daughter.