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EspañolOLIVER FISHER WINCHESTER
(Redirected from Oliver Winchester)
'Oliver Fisher Winchester' (November 30, 1810 – December 11, 1880) was an American businessman and politician.
He was the son of Samuel Winchester and Hannah Bates and was born in Boston on November 30, 1810. He married Jane Ellen Hope in Boston on February 20, 1834. Their children were:
★ Ann Rebecca Winchester (1835-1864) who married Charles B. Dye
★ William Wirt Winchester (1837-1881) who married Sarah Lockwood Pardee
★ Hannah Jane Winchester who married Thomas Gray Bennett
He manufactured and marketed the Winchester repeating rifle, which was a much re-designed descendant of the Volcanic rifle of some years earlier. Winchester was a clothing manufacturer in New York City and New Haven, Connecticut. During this period he discovered that a division of Smith & Wesson firearms was failing financially with one of their newly patented arms. Having an eye for opportunity, Winchester assembled venture capital together with other stockholders and acquired the S&W division in 1850 better known as the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company.
Initially the company was plagued by sluggish returns, which was in part attributed to the design and poor performance of the Volcanic cartridge: a hollow conical ball filled with black powder and sealed by a cork primer. Although the Volcanic's repeater design far outpaced the rival technology, the poor performance and reliability of the 25 and 32 caliber cartridges used in the pistol and rifle models respectively, was little match for the competitors larger calibers.
Fortunately for Winchester, he inherited a brilliant engineer that would prove an infallible asset and by 1856 Winchester had positioned himself as the principal stockholder in the company and relocated to New Haven, changing the name to New Haven Arms Company. Winchester's brilliant engineer was Benjamin Tyler Henry who sought to improve on the Volcanic repeating rifle by enlarging the frame and magazine to accommodate 17 of his newly redesigned all-brass case 44 caliber Rim Fire cartridges. This new cartridge put the new company on the map and Henry's ingenuity was rewarded having acquired the patent in his name on October 16, 1860 on what was to become the famous Henry repeating rifle, otherwise named during the U.S. Civil War as "that damn Yankee rifle, loaded on Sunday and fired all week." The Henry Rifle was manufactured for almost six years with a total production of approximately 12,000 rifles, both iron and brass frame models. Around 1200 of these arms were purchased by the head of ordinance Major James W. Ripley for use with the U.S. Marshall's. Other solders hearing of the abilities of the advanced arm would save up their money to have a Henry on their side, at a time when the asking price for the basic model was $40.00, a fair price in the 1860's. Unfortunately, the Henry had two design flaws:
:1. Loading the gun required that you twist open the end of the barrel and drop the cartridges down into the magazine.
:2. The cartridges were contained in an unsealed magazine, which often became caked with dirt and mud causing the arm to jam.
In 1866, employee Nelson King's new improved patent remedied the flaws by incorporating a loading gate on the side of the frame and integrating a round sealed magazine, which was covered by a fore arms stock. The company was reorganized once more and renamed the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The first Winchester rifle was the Model 1866, Yellow boy.
Repeating rifles were used to some extent in the American Civil War. However, the United States Army at that time did not use many repeating rifles as it was a new, untested technology and the army chose to spend money on proven firearms. Repeating rifles were not widely used until after the Civil War when they became increasingly popular with civilians. Military authorities concentrated primarily on perfecting breech-loading single shot rifles for some years. With thousands of rifles in the hands of the average pioneer, the Winchester repeating rifles gained a reputation as "the gun that won the West".
Winchester was also active in politics, serving as a New Haven City Commissioner, Republican Presidential elector in 1864, and as Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1866 - 1867.
When Winchester died, his ownership in the company passed to his son, William Wirt Winchester, who died of tuberculosis in March of the next year. William's wife Sarah believed the family was cursed by the spirits killed by the Winchester rifle, and moved to California and began building a chaotic mansion with her inheritance, to confuse the spirits seeking revenge.
Winchester Avenue in New Haven is named in his honor. Winchester Hall (no longer standing) at the Sheffield Scientific School was named in his honor. The Jane Ellen Hope building at the Yale Medical School is named in his wife's honor.
In 2006, the Olin Corporation, owners of the Winchester name, closed their factory in New Haven amidst much protest, finally ending all Winchester ties with the city.
★ Henry repeating rifle US Patent no. 30,446 & other resources
★ Winchester Model 1866 US Patents no. 55,012 - 57,808 & other resources
'Oliver Fisher Winchester' (November 30, 1810 – December 11, 1880) was an American businessman and politician.
| Contents |
| Birth and marriage |
| Career |
| Legacy |
| External links |
Birth and marriage
He was the son of Samuel Winchester and Hannah Bates and was born in Boston on November 30, 1810. He married Jane Ellen Hope in Boston on February 20, 1834. Their children were:
★ Ann Rebecca Winchester (1835-1864) who married Charles B. Dye
★ William Wirt Winchester (1837-1881) who married Sarah Lockwood Pardee
★ Hannah Jane Winchester who married Thomas Gray Bennett
Career
He manufactured and marketed the Winchester repeating rifle, which was a much re-designed descendant of the Volcanic rifle of some years earlier. Winchester was a clothing manufacturer in New York City and New Haven, Connecticut. During this period he discovered that a division of Smith & Wesson firearms was failing financially with one of their newly patented arms. Having an eye for opportunity, Winchester assembled venture capital together with other stockholders and acquired the S&W division in 1850 better known as the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company.
Initially the company was plagued by sluggish returns, which was in part attributed to the design and poor performance of the Volcanic cartridge: a hollow conical ball filled with black powder and sealed by a cork primer. Although the Volcanic's repeater design far outpaced the rival technology, the poor performance and reliability of the 25 and 32 caliber cartridges used in the pistol and rifle models respectively, was little match for the competitors larger calibers.
Fortunately for Winchester, he inherited a brilliant engineer that would prove an infallible asset and by 1856 Winchester had positioned himself as the principal stockholder in the company and relocated to New Haven, changing the name to New Haven Arms Company. Winchester's brilliant engineer was Benjamin Tyler Henry who sought to improve on the Volcanic repeating rifle by enlarging the frame and magazine to accommodate 17 of his newly redesigned all-brass case 44 caliber Rim Fire cartridges. This new cartridge put the new company on the map and Henry's ingenuity was rewarded having acquired the patent in his name on October 16, 1860 on what was to become the famous Henry repeating rifle, otherwise named during the U.S. Civil War as "that damn Yankee rifle, loaded on Sunday and fired all week." The Henry Rifle was manufactured for almost six years with a total production of approximately 12,000 rifles, both iron and brass frame models. Around 1200 of these arms were purchased by the head of ordinance Major James W. Ripley for use with the U.S. Marshall's. Other solders hearing of the abilities of the advanced arm would save up their money to have a Henry on their side, at a time when the asking price for the basic model was $40.00, a fair price in the 1860's. Unfortunately, the Henry had two design flaws:
:1. Loading the gun required that you twist open the end of the barrel and drop the cartridges down into the magazine.
:2. The cartridges were contained in an unsealed magazine, which often became caked with dirt and mud causing the arm to jam.
In 1866, employee Nelson King's new improved patent remedied the flaws by incorporating a loading gate on the side of the frame and integrating a round sealed magazine, which was covered by a fore arms stock. The company was reorganized once more and renamed the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The first Winchester rifle was the Model 1866, Yellow boy.
Repeating rifles were used to some extent in the American Civil War. However, the United States Army at that time did not use many repeating rifles as it was a new, untested technology and the army chose to spend money on proven firearms. Repeating rifles were not widely used until after the Civil War when they became increasingly popular with civilians. Military authorities concentrated primarily on perfecting breech-loading single shot rifles for some years. With thousands of rifles in the hands of the average pioneer, the Winchester repeating rifles gained a reputation as "the gun that won the West".
Winchester was also active in politics, serving as a New Haven City Commissioner, Republican Presidential elector in 1864, and as Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1866 - 1867.
When Winchester died, his ownership in the company passed to his son, William Wirt Winchester, who died of tuberculosis in March of the next year. William's wife Sarah believed the family was cursed by the spirits killed by the Winchester rifle, and moved to California and began building a chaotic mansion with her inheritance, to confuse the spirits seeking revenge.
Legacy
Winchester Avenue in New Haven is named in his honor. Winchester Hall (no longer standing) at the Sheffield Scientific School was named in his honor. The Jane Ellen Hope building at the Yale Medical School is named in his wife's honor.
In 2006, the Olin Corporation, owners of the Winchester name, closed their factory in New Haven amidst much protest, finally ending all Winchester ties with the city.
External links
★ Henry repeating rifle US Patent no. 30,446 & other resources
★ Winchester Model 1866 US Patents no. 55,012 - 57,808 & other resources
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