Fitch, John
Published: September 6, 2006, 5:30 pm
Updated: September 6, 2006, 5:30 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Tom Lawrence
John Fitch (1743-1798), an American inventor who made the first successful trial of a steamboat on the Delaware River on August 22, 1787, in the presence of members of the Constitutional Convention. Fitch designed and built a number of different steamboats with engines that had features of both James Watt and Thomas Newcomen's steam engines. Fitch's models utilized various combinations of propulsive force, including ranked paddles (patterned after Indian war canoes), paddle wheels, and screw propellers. While his boats were mechanically successful, Fitch was not successful at developing the steamboat on a commercial scale. After Fitch's death, Robert Fulton built his first boat, and it was Fulton who became known as the "father of steam navigation" when his steamboat became a commercial success.
Further Reading
Innovators: John Fitch (PBS Online)
The History of Steamboats (About.com)
Westcott, Thompson, 1857. The Life of John Fitch: The Inventor of the Steam Boat. (University of Rochester)
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Tom Lawrence (Topic Editor) "Fitch, John". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth September 6, 2006; Last revised Date September 6, 2006; Retrieved May 25, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Fitch,_John>
The Author
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
John Fitch (1743-1798), an American inventor who made the first successful trial of a steamboat on the Delaware River on August 22, 1787, in the presence of members of the Constitutional Convention. Fitch designed and built a number of different steamboats with engines that had features of both James Watt and Thomas Newcomen's steam engines. Fitch's models utilized various combinations of propulsive force, including ranked paddles (patterned after Indian war canoes), paddle wheels, and screw propellers. While his boats were mechanically successful, Fitch was not successful at developing the steamboat on a commercial scale. After Fitch's death, Robert Fulton built his first boat, and it was Fulton who became known as the "father of steam navigation" when his steamboat became a commercial success.
Further Reading
Innovators: John Fitch (PBS Online)
The History of Steamboats (About.com)
Westcott, Thompson, 1857. The Life of John Fitch: The Inventor of the Steam Boat. (University of Rochester)
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