Frank Stephen Baldwin

Infobox Scientist
name = Frank Stephen Baldwin
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caption = Frank Stephen Baldwin
birth_date = April 10, 1838
birth_place = New Hartford, Connecticut
death_date = April 8, 1925
death_place = Morristown, New Jersey
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known_for = calculating machine
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Frank Stephen Baldwin (April 10, 1838 – April 8, 1925) was a pioneer calculating machine designer.

Early years

He was born in 1838 in New Hartford, Connecticut. In 1840 the family moved to Nunda, New York where he attended the Nunda Institute for his elementary school education. In 1854 he was enrolled at Union College in Schenectady, New York, but left when his father had an accident, which crippled him for life. Frank then took over the management of his father's architectural business. In 1855, Frank applied for a patent on an "arrowhead self-coupler" for railroad cars, but the patent was rejected.

In 1860 an uncle in Carlyle, Illinois, designed a corn-planter and Frank assisted in applying for the patent. In 1861, he returned to Carlyle to build a model of the planter and to arrange manufacturing.

During the American Civil War he enlisted in the Carlyle Home Guard, but only served for three months. In 1869, he went to St. Louis, Missouri as manager of Peck’s Planning Mills.

It was around this time, that he invented an anemometer, for recording the direction of the wind. He also invented a "registering step" for street cars, that recorded the number of passengers entering a streetcar; and a "street indicator" geared from the axle of a trolley that showed each street in succession, from an illuminated box, as the car passed.

Shortly thereafter, he invented and patented the "Recording Lumber Measure", a machine which automatically measured and recorded four different kinds of lumber at the same time. This device started him thinking about calculating machines and this point really marks the birth of the Monroe calculator. In the office of a life insurance company at St. Louis, he had seen the Thomas type of calculating machine, devised by Charles Xavier Thomas, around 1820. To create a model based on his ideas he hired William Seward Burroughs I to perform the work in his machine shop, which he, with his father, had in St. Louis.

Marriage

In October 1872, he married Mary K. Denniston of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, who was visiting relatives in St. Louis. Together they had the following children: Frank P. Baldwin (1874-?) who was born in Philadelphia; Emma V. Baldwin (1878-?) who was born in St. Louis, and worked as a librarian at the public library; Eugene D. Baldwin (1880-?) who was born in St. Louis, and worked as an insurance clerk; and Blanche B. Baldwin (1888-?) who was born in New Jersey, and worked as a clerk at the YMCA.

In 1873 they moved to Philadelphia where he rented a small shop and started to make ten of his calculating machines. He then designed an adding machine called the "arithmometer" and his patent was issued on July 28, 1874. It was also one of the first adding machines sold in the United States.

He placed both machines on exhibition at the Franklin Institute, and was awarded the John Scott Medal for the most meritorious invention of the year. The only other inventor that year receiving a similar honor from the Institute was George Westinghouse for his air brake.

Pennsylvania Railroad

When the calculating machine was finished, he took it to the office of the Pennsylvania Railroad and was referred to George M. Taylor, Auditor of Freight Receipts. As soon as he saw the machine, he exclaimed, "You are a year too late. If I could have had a machine like that a year ago, it would have been invaluable. I have had a series of tables prepared, giving rates on quantities from 1 to 2,000 pounds, carried from 1 to 550 miles of the road, making over a million computations. Seven different clerks have checked each sheet and I have just had them lithographed for distribution to the agents. However, I would like to see your machine tested." He asked a clerk to bring in one of the sheets. Then he began calling off the items while I multiplied them on the machine. After about fifty items he cried, "Hold on, that is wrong." I looked at the sheet and there surely was a discrepancy. To make certain, I erased it and did it over. I said, "The error is in the sheet, sir". "What, you don’t mean to say that the table is wrong?" "Prove it for yourself, sir", said I. The clerks were called in and each one had to figure it himself before he would believe those tables could be wrong. "Well," said Mr. Taylor, "I will buy your machine if you will instruct one of my clerks how to operate it, and then I want all of these tables gone over and proven correct." Three months later the clerk confessed to Baldwin under the pledge of absolute secrecy that he had found 135 errors in the tables, seven on one sheet.

Europe

One of his 1875 models found its way to Europe, and Wilgott Theophil Odhner took out patents in all European countries on the machine and several large manufacturing companies in Europe started production. The machine then appeared under ten to fifteen names in Europe, the more important being Brunsviga and Triumpator, which manufactured in Germany.

Monroe

In 1900, he patented the "Baldwin Computing Engine", a machine by which multiplication or division was performed by one stroke for each digit. In 1908, he was awarded a patent on the "Baldwin Recording Calculator", which combined a printer with the calculator. In 1911, he partnered with Jay R. Monroe, of the Western Electric Company in New York City to create the Monroe Calculator Company. In 1920 he was living in East Orange, New Jersey with his wife and children. [1920 US Census; East Orange, New Jersey]

Death

Baldwin died at age 86 in 1925 in a private hospital in Morristown, New Jersey following an operation. He was residing in Denville, New Jersey. [ [http://www.monroe-systems.com/company_history_personal_story.asp A Personal Story of Interest to Business Men and Accountants] , Monroe Calculator Company. Accessed October 27, 2007. "Mr. Baldwin died at his home in Denville, New Jersey, April 8, 1925, within two days of reaching his 87th birthday."]

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Horizon/1404/bbald.html Baldwin calculator brochure]

References

References

*New York Times; April 9, 1925, Thursday; ; Originator of the Calculating Machine, the Anemometer and Many Other Devices.

Patents

*US patent|451992; Cement Mixer; May 12, 1891
*US patent|476597; Roundabout; June 7, 1892
*US patent|641065; Calculating Machine; January 9, 1900
*US patent|706375; Calculating Machine; August 5, 1902

ee also

*Pinwheel calculator