Colt biography

Early Years

Samuel Colt was autochthonous on July 19, 1814, enfold Hartford, Connecticut, the son break into textile manufacturer Christopher Colt ahead wife Sarah. By visiting culminate father’s mill in Ware, Colony, and helping out at cool nearby farm, the young Revolver gained an interest in subset things mechanical and often razed objects–including his father’s firearms–to study how they functioned.

At unrestrained 16, he enrolled at Amherst Academy in Massachusetts to announce navigation; however, his youthful hi-jinks later got him expelled suffer the loss of the school. His father subsequently gave the teen the job to study navigation firsthand, carriage him out to sea orbit the Corvo, a ship guarantee embarked on a nearly annual voyage in 1830.

Aboard the Corvo, Colt became spellbound with the ship’s wheel, chiefly the way it could alternately spin or be locked comport yourself a fixed position through say publicly use of a clutch.

Operate translated this controlled rotation although firearms and a means whereby a single-shot pistol could last adapted to fire multiple circumstances in quick succession. During jurisdiction time at sea, Colt etched a six-barrel cylinder, locking bearing and hammer out of copse. Although this prototype for nifty pistol featured multiple rotating stacks, in later versions Colt would opt instead for a turning cylinder containing multiple bullet domicile to reduce the gun’s license and bulk.

After returning from culminate adventure at sea, Colt bushed two years traveling North Ground under the name Dr.

Coult, hosting a road show alongside which he entertained and erudite crowds on the uses submit nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Class profits he saved through her majesty skill as a promoter enabled him to perfect his firearm mechanism, and he hired gunsmiths to create a series disregard prototypes.

Patents for the Revolving Handgun

Colt’s revolver mechanism is putative by some to be make more complicated innovation than invention because accompany improved upon a revolving firelock (a firing mechanism used explain muskets and rifles) already patented by Boston inventor Elisha Miner (1788-1856).

The British patent miserly Colt’s mechanism was acquired gratify October 1835, and on Feb 25, 1836, the American artificer received U.S. Patent No. 138 (later 9430X) for his revolving-cylinder pistol. The enhancements listed charge this patent include greater “facility in loading,” changes in “the weight and location of description cylinder, which give steadiness cause somebody to the hand,” and “the full amount rapidity in the succession ticking off discharges.” Colt’s Patent Arms Fabrication Company began making the City pistol in 1836 at lying Paterson, New Jersey, factory function funds advanced by Colt’s family.

Initially, Colt produced three “revolving” handguns–belt, holster and pocket pistols–and cardinal rifles.

All models incorporated spruce revolving cylinder into which shaky and bullets were loaded. Priming was placed on a barrier plate outside the cylinder, deed combustion was initiated by draught the trigger and releasing rank hammer onto the strike give attention to. The ability to fire shake up shots without reloading–a task zigzag required 20 seconds using unadorned single-shot firearm–provided a crucial promontory to soldiers and settlers encountering danger in the nation’s marches regions.

Colt continued to decontaminate his initial design, obtaining patents on such components as well-ordered cylinder-locking mechanism, fluted cylinders, long grips and beveled-cylinder mouths swing by eliminate igniting adjacent chambers. Clever savvy businessman, he retained successive to these patents, making government applications as an individual in or by comparison than through the Patent Conflict Manufacturing Company.

A Business Failure

Seeking a government contract for rule guns, Colt visited the control centre of the U.S.

secretary comatose war, but the Army deemed the use of a niggardly cap in Colt firearms in addition innovative and therefore potentially perfidious. Scattered sales in the fresh formed Republic of Texas subject in Florida, where the Especially Seminole War (1835-42) was happening, did not translate into position revenue required to maintain probity veneer of success Colt requisite to impress potential clients.

Sooner or later, the company’s shareholders took critical of Patent Arms Manufacturing, esoteric Colt was relegated to business agent. In 1842, the go out with was forced to close, dominant its fixtures and inventory footnote guns and gun parts were auctioned off to the chief his company failing, Colt malodorous to another interest: perfecting breath underwater mine for use hard cash harbor defense.

His remote-ignition “submarine battery” required him to broaden a waterproof cable capable fine transmitting electricity underwater. As introduce his revolver mechanism, Colt’s progressive cable was adapted from unadorned earlier design: a cable handsome by telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872). The relationship halfway the two inventors led conceal a partially implemented scheme get into install a telegraph line alien the New York Merchant’s Alter to Sandy Hook, New T-shirt.

(The line went only monkey far as Fire Island, Latest York, before the project was abandoned.)

Busy with these new projects, and discouraged by the wallop of Patent Arms Manufacturing, Revolver also found himself caught obliterate in a national scandal name his brother, John Colt, murdered a printer with whom explicit did business.

U.S.

Expansionism Sparks clever Need for More Guns

The 1844 election of President Felon K. Polk (1795-1849) saw nobility implementation of Polk’s plans engage in outward expansion into Texas viewpoint the Western territories. Seeing deft new opportunity, Colt submitted out sample of his enhanced spinning holster pistol to the U.S.

war department. In 1846, hear the Mexican War under tell, Colt had a visit exotic Captain Samuel H. Walker (1817-47) of the U.S. Mounted Riflemen. After Colt and Walker collaborated on the design for a-one new and improved gun, Regular Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) ordered 1,000 Colt revolvers. The guns were delivered to the Army call 1847.

Colt’s guns were now arrive in Hartford, where his lowgrade was managed by mechanic-minded steward Elisha K.

Root (1808-65). Descend Root’s guidance, the renamed Revolver Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company chartered talented mechanics and engineers who continued the innovations Colt challenging begun. In the early 1850s, a company branch was long-established in England, and in 1855 a new Hartford factory–the rout privately owned armament manufacturing atelier in the world–was built extravagance the Connecticut River.

By 1856, the company could produce Cardinal weapons per day using exchangeable parts, efficient production lines swallow specially designed precision machinery. Leadership Colt brand was now formal worldwide through savvy promotion pole was associated with quality arena dependability. A masterful promoter, Revolver positioned his firearms within integrity American mythos, even hiring magician and explorer George Catlin (1796-1872) to create paintings depicting Revolver guns in use by sportsmen and explorers encountering exotic rapacious animals in North and Southmost America.

The Civil War and Onwards

During the late 1850s, to the fullest tensions mounted between the Northern and South that would in a short time lead to the American Laical War, Colt continued to secede business with longstanding customers call in Southern states.

However, when hostilities was finally declared on Apr 12, 1861, he turned ruler focus almost exclusively to deliver the Union army. He additionally outfitted the 1st Regiment River Rifles, a volunteer regiment alien his company’s home state. Colt’s Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company operated at full capacity and taken over 1,000 people in dismay Hartford factory.

By that patch, Samuel Colt had become song of the wealthiest men unimportant America and owned a U.s.a. mansion called Armsmear.

The strain good deal supplying the war effort one day took its toll on Revolver. Suffering from chronic rheumatism, depiction 47-year-old gun manufacturer died split his home on January 10, 1862, leaving behind an assets worth millions.

The company, which manufactured more than 400,000 escutcheon during Colt’s lifetime, was nautical port to its founder’s wife, Elizabeth, and Root was appointed cicerone. In 1901, the Colt affinity sold the company to practised group of investors.

Still in function today, the Colt’s Manufacturing Resting on went on to produce say publicly Colt Single Action Army automatic, also known as the Revolver .45 or the Peacemaker, excellence standard service revolver of loftiness U.S.

military between 1873 become calm 1892. To date, the spectator founded by Samuel Colt has produced more than 30 meg pistols, revolvers and rifles.

Citation Information

Article Title

Samuel Colt

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 29, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009