James Henry Carpenter

James Henry Carpenter
Black and white picture of James Henry Carpenter, a white male with a GAR pin on lapel circa 1895.
James Henry Carpenter
Nickname(s)Henry
Born(1846-09-14)September 14, 1846
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedMarch 6, 1898(1898-03-06) (aged 51)
Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Place of burial
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnion Navy
Years of service1861–1865
RankMaster's mate and Midshipman
Battles / warsAmerican Civil War
Other workFounder of Carpenter Steel Company, renamed in 1968 Carpenter Technology Corporation.

James Henry Carpenter (September 14, 1846 – March 6, 1898) was a 19th-century American engineer and industrialist who founded the Carpenter Steel Company (renamed in 1968 as the Carpenter Technology Corporation). Born in Brooklyn, New York, he joined the Union Navy as a "cabin boy" at age 15 during the American Civil War, during which he was wounded in action. He was promoted to master's mate in the United States Navy for meritorious conduct and was appointed to the United States Naval Academy at age 16. He resigned from the US Navy in 1865, aged 19, and studied engineering in New Jersey.

On June 7, 1889, he founded the Carpenter Steel Company of Reading, Pennsylvania, becoming its general manager.[1] Under his management, the company was a successful supplier of armor plating and ordnance to the US Navy.

  1. ^ Carpenter Technology Corporation (1997). "Carpenter Technology Corporation – History". Carpenter Technology Corporation. Retrieved March 21, 2012.[permanent dead link]