Samuel Slater | |
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Born | Belper, Derbyshire, England | June 9, 1768
Died | April 21, 1835 Webster, Massachusetts, U.S. | (aged 66)
Occupation(s) | Industrialist, Author |
Known for | Bringing the Industrial Revolution to the U.S. from Great Britain |
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Samuel Slater (June 9, 1768 – April 21, 1835) was an early English-American industrialist known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution", a phrase coined by Andrew Jackson, and the "Father of the American Factory System". In the United Kingdom, he was called "Slater the Traitor"[1] and "Sam the Slate" because he brought British textile technology to the United States, modifying it for American use. He memorized the textile factory machinery designs as an apprentice to a pioneer in the British industry before migrating to the U.S. at the age of 21.
Slater designed the first textile mill in the U.S. and later went into business for himself, developing a family business with his sons. He eventually owned 13 spinning mills and had developed tenant farms and company towns around his textile mills, such as Slatersville, Rhode Island.