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JOHN THOMSON, engineer and inventor,
was born October 25, 1853, in Fochabers, Morayshire, Scotland, the eldest
son of Alexander Thomson and Elizabeth Hay, and was brought to America
when a child. His relatives and ancestors were farmers, artisans,
merchants, physicians and mechanics, located or hailing from the shires of
Banff and Moray. He was educated in the common school, Wayne County, N.
Y., and later made a special study of mathematics and mechanical drawing
in Rochester, N. Y., where he was engaged as a watch-maker, at which art
he became an adept.
For more than
thirty-five years, Mr. Thomson has engaged successfully in civil,
mechanical and electrical engineering; also in the design and manufacture
of water-meters, printing presses and electric furnaces. He formerly
practised considerably as a solicitor before the United States Patent
Office, and has been granted more than 200 patents in this country and
Europe. He has also often been retained as an expert in patent litigations
before the Federal Courts and has made numerous investigations with
respect to the probable validity of patents and the merits of engineering
and manufacturing enterprises. He was Chief Engineer of the primary
Electrical Subway Commission, New York, 1886, which built along Sixth
Avenue the first underground conduit containing cabled telegraph and
telephone wires. The system then established has been widely adopted. He
was associated for upward of twenty-five years with the Colt’s Patent
Firearms Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Conn., in the design and
manufacture of printing presses adapted for the highest grade of
letter-press, half-tone and color printing; also for embossing, stamping,
and for paper-box cutting and scoring. Having purchased the Colt’s
Company’s interest, the business is now conducted under the corporate
title of John Thomson Press Company, its factory being in Long Island
City, N. Y. It also undertook large contracts for munitions for use by the
Allies in the European War.
Mr. Thomson is a member of the
American Society of Civil Engineers (and was at one time Treasurer) ;
the American Society of Mechanical Engineers; the American Institute
of Mining Engineers; the American Electrochemical Society; the Franklin
Institute; the Engineers’ Club of New York (of which he is a
Past-President); the Union League Club of New York; the Pilgrims Society;
and the Royal Thames Yacht Club and the American Luncheon Club of London,
England. He is also Past-President of the Burns Society, New York; member
of the St. Andrew’s Society of the State of New York; honorary member of
the Organization of Officers, First Regiment, U. S. Volunteer Engineers
(Spanish War); and a life member of the U. S. Navy League. Mr. Thomson has
written and discussed many papers relating to engineering subjects,
published in the Transactions of various technical societies, and
has been a considerable contributor to the daily press.
In 1877, Mr. Thomson married Miss
Alice Elizabeth McKee, born at Canandaigua, N. Y. She is as young as her
daughter; time has not dimmed her een and she ‘s still "as bonnie as the
heather." They have two sons and one daughter: Ralph Moore, graduate civil
and mining engineer, Cornell University, who served as assistant under
John Findley Wallace, C. E;, when Chief Engineer on the Panama Canal; John
Edgar, graduate mechanical engineer, Cornell, Vice-President and active
manager of the John Thomson Press Company; and Edith McKee, who married
Spencer M. Maben, a member of the New York Stock Exchange. There are five
grandchildren. He furthermore, has several score of "nephews," many of
whom are older than himself, begotten by their voluntary bestowment of the
affectionate title of "Uncle John." Mr. Thomson makes his home at Hotel
Biltmore, New York City: his business address is 253 Broadway, New York
City. |
