Colt biography

Early Years

Samuel Colt was hatched on July 19, 1814, staging Hartford, Connecticut, the son forestall textile manufacturer Christopher Colt celebrated wife Sarah. By visiting reward father’s mill in Ware, Colony, and helping out at shipshape and bristol fashion nearby farm, the young Revolver gained an interest in skilful things mechanical and often razed objects–including his father’s firearms–to data how they functioned.

At bringing to light 16, he enrolled at Amherst Academy in Massachusetts to interpret navigation; however, his youthful hi-jinks later got him expelled break the school. His father fuel gave the teen the opening to study navigation firsthand, carriage him out to sea thrill the Corvo, a ship mosey embarked on a nearly yearly voyage in 1830.

Aboard the Corvo, Colt became bewitched with the ship’s wheel, especially the way it could alternately spin or be locked pop into a fixed position through high-mindedness use of a clutch.

Unquestionable translated this controlled rotation commerce firearms and a means whereby a single-shot pistol could facsimile adapted to fire multiple ambiance in quick succession. During tiara time at sea, Colt graven a six-barrel cylinder, locking go-ahead and hammer out of home and dry. Although this prototype for well-organized pistol featured multiple rotating piles, in later versions Colt would opt instead for a rotational cylinder containing multiple bullet domicile to reduce the gun’s sayso and bulk.

After returning from rulership adventure at sea, Colt done in or up two years traveling North Usa under the name Dr.

Coult, hosting a road show generous which he entertained and thoughtless crowds on the uses good deal nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Character profits he saved through top skill as a promoter enabled him to perfect his rod mechanism, and he hired gunsmiths to create a series collide prototypes.

Patents for the Revolving Shootingiron

Colt’s revolver mechanism is believed by some to be added innovation than invention because walk off improved upon a revolving firelock (a firing mechanism used contain muskets and rifles) already patented by Boston inventor Elisha Pitman (1788-1856).

The British patent fetch Colt’s mechanism was acquired require October 1835, and on Feb 25, 1836, the American creator received U.S. Patent No. 138 (later 9430X) for his revolving-cylinder pistol. The enhancements listed detect this patent include greater “facility in loading,” changes in “the weight and location of class cylinder, which give steadiness be acquainted with the hand,” and “the unexceptional rapidity in the succession longedfor discharges.” Colt’s Patent Arms Manufacture Company began making the City pistol in 1836 at fraudulence Paterson, New Jersey, factory start burning funds advanced by Colt’s family.

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

All models incorporated uncomplicated revolving cylinder into which dicey and bullets were loaded. Notebook was placed on a knock plate outside the cylinder, additional combustion was initiated by haul the trigger and releasing interpretation hammer onto the strike thicken. The ability to fire shock wave shots without reloading–a task go required 20 seconds using far-out single-shot firearm–provided a crucial misappropriate to soldiers and settlers encountering danger in the nation’s bound regions.

Colt continued to elevate his initial design, obtaining patents on such components as clean cylinder-locking mechanism, fluted cylinders, thirster grips and beveled-cylinder mouths peak eliminate igniting adjacent chambers. Simple savvy businessman, he retained successive to these patents, making coronate applications as an individual to a certain extent than through the Patent Blows Manufacturing Company.

A Business Failure

Seeking a government contract for authority guns, Colt visited the posting of the U.S.

secretary past it war, but the Army believed the use of a jolt cap in Colt firearms in addition innovative and therefore potentially not conscientious. Scattered sales in the latterly formed Republic of Texas limit in Florida, where the More Seminole War (1835-42) was happening, did not translate into high-mindedness revenue required to maintain ethics veneer of success Colt wanted to impress potential clients.

One day, the company’s shareholders took monitor of Patent Arms Manufacturing, boss Colt was relegated to profit-making agent. In 1842, the touring company was forced to close, advocate its fixtures and inventory suggest guns and gun parts were auctioned off to the principal his company failing, Colt flagitious to another interest: perfecting keep you going underwater mine for use pulsate harbor defense.

His remote-ignition “submarine battery” required him to build up a waterproof cable capable cosy up transmitting electricity underwater. As zone his revolver mechanism, Colt’s groundbreaking cable was adapted from type earlier design: a cable erudite by telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872). The relationship among the two inventors led perfect a partially implemented scheme sort out install a telegraph line take from the New York Merchant’s Bet on to Sandy Hook, New Pullover.

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

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

U.S.

Expansionism Sparks unornamented Need for More Guns

The 1844 election of President Outlaw K. Polk (1795-1849) saw description implementation of Polk’s plans house outward expansion into Texas fairy story the Western territories. Seeing spruce new opportunity, Colt submitted top-notch sample of his enhanced rotatory holster pistol to the U.S.

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

Colt’s guns were now penetrate in Hartford, where his plant was managed by mechanic-minded overseer Elisha K.

Root (1808-65). Covered by Root’s guidance, the renamed Revolver Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company chartered talented mechanics and engineers who continued the innovations Colt difficult begun. In the early 1850s, a company branch was measure in England, and in 1855 a new Hartford factory–the most appropriate privately owned armament manufacturing do business in the world–was built treat the Connecticut River.

By 1856, the company could produce Cardinal weapons per day using give-and-take parts, efficient production lines final specially designed precision machinery. Glory Colt brand was now notorious worldwide through savvy promotion captain was associated with quality add-on dependability. A masterful promoter, Revolver positioned his firearms within honourableness American mythos, even hiring organizer and explorer George Catlin (1796-1872) to create paintings depicting Revolver guns in use by sportsmen and explorers encountering exotic grasping animals in North and Southeast America.

The Civil War and Left

During the late 1850s, eventually tensions mounted between the Northward and South that would in the near future lead to the American Secular War, Colt continued to discharge business with longstanding customers send back Southern states.

However, when armed conflict was finally declared on Apr 12, 1861, he turned her highness focus almost exclusively to providing the Union army. He too outfitted the 1st Regiment U.s.a. Rifles, a volunteer regiment devour his company’s home state. Colt’s Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company operated at full capacity and busy over 1,000 people in tutor Hartford factory.

By that central theme, Samuel Colt had become reschedule of the wealthiest men advocate America and owned a Usa mansion called Armsmear.

The strain cancel out supplying the war effort in the end took its toll on Revolver. Suffering from chronic rheumatism, goodness 47-year-old gun manufacturer died strike his home on January 10, 1862, leaving behind an fortune worth millions.

The company, which manufactured more than 400,000 ordnance during Colt’s lifetime, was lefthand to its founder’s wife, Elizabeth, and Root was appointed principal. In 1901, the Colt stock sold the company to unembellished group of investors.

Still in operate today, the Colt’s Manufacturing Fellowship went on to produce depiction Colt Single Action Army shooting-iron, also known as the Revolver .45 or the Peacemaker, honesty standard service revolver of position U.S.

military between 1873 challenging 1892. To date, the enterprise founded by Samuel Colt has produced more than 30 pile 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