19th Century Pioneers

Thomas Davenport (1802 – 1851) Born in Vermont.

He was a blacksmith and an American inventor.  He became interested in electromagnets after observing one in use at an ironworks in 1831. 

His experimentation with electromagnets resulted in the construction of a battery powered electric motor by 1834.  The motor used a commutator switch (invented by Sturgeon) and electromagnets that rotated between two stationary electromagnets.

He introduced a small car that propelled itself around a track using one of his electric motors; it is the first recorded instance of an electric railway.  He patented his invention for “Improvements in propelling machinery by magnetism and electromagnetism” in 1837. 

According to the article in the Encyclopedia Britannica, he was not largely successful in obtaining financial backing, but he did establish a workshop in New York City for a short time where he published a journal of electromagnetism and mechanics.  He used a printing press that was operated by one of his electric motors.