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Richard Jordan GatlingAmerican inventor, best known for creating one of the first truly successful versions of a machine gun.
Date of Birth: 12.09.1818
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Richard Jordan Gatling
Early Life and CareerRichard Jordan Gatling was an American inventor, best known for creating one of the first truly successful versions of the machine gun. His invention, the Gatling gun, has since become iconic in action movies and video games. In reality, the military did not immediately adopt Gatling's creation, but its simplicity soon made it extremely popular. Interestingly, Gatling sincerely believed that such an effective weapon could put an end to wars by deterring people from excessive violence, but unfortunately, his predictions did not come true.
Gatling was born in North Carolina. He began his inventing career at a young age, inventing a new model of propeller for steamboats when he was just 21 years old. However, he was slightly late with this invention, as John Ericsson beat him to it by a few months. In addition to his inventing work, Gatling held various jobs, including being a school teacher, a merchant, and a county clerk.
Inventions and Civil War
At the age of 36, Gatling moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he worked in a textile store. It was in St. Louis that he invented seeders for rice and wheat, which revolutionized local agriculture. Gatling's next interest was in medicine. In 1850, he graduated from the Ohio Medical College with a doctor's degree. However, his passion for invention outweighed his interest in practicing medicine.
By the time the Civil War began, Gatling was living in Indianapolis, Indiana, primarily working on developing new models of firearms. His research showed that bullets caused far fewer deaths in war than diseases did. This led him to believe that existing firearms were inefficient, and he became interested in creating a device that would allow one soldier to effectively fight against multiple enemies. He based his new invention on the seeder he had created earlier.
In 1861, just as the war broke out, Gatling introduced the Gatling gun. Its system of freely feeding cartridges from a hopper made it relatively easy to use, even for inexperienced operators, which was incredibly valuable at the time. He established a special company dedicated to manufacturing Gatling guns. Surprisingly, his creations hardly saw any action during the war, and it was only in 1866 that the U.S. government began purchasing Gatling guns.
Personal Life and Later Years
Gatling's firearms company was not his first significant achievement. By the early 1850s, he had become successful enough to propose to Jemima Sanders, the daughter of a prominent physician from Indianapolis. They were married on October 25, 1854, with Gatling being 19 years older than his bride. Jemima's sister, Zerelda, married Indiana Governor David Wallace.
Gatling continued his inventing career, working on toilets, bicycles, steam wool scouring, and pneumatics. In 1891, he was elected the first president of the American Association of Inventors and Manufacturers and served in this position for six years. Gatling faced some financial difficulties due to unsuccessful investments, but he was still a wealthy man at the time of his death.
Towards the end of his life, Gatling returned to St. Louis and founded a company that produced steam-powered tractor plows. He passed away on February 26, 1903, during a visit to New York City, where he was visiting his daughter and attending to business at a patent agency.
