Isaac Adams (inventor)

Isaac Adams (August 16, 1802 – July 19, 1883) was an American inventor and politician. He served in the Massachusetts Senate and invented the Adams Power Press, which revolutionized the printing industry.

For the other people with the same name, see Isaac Adams.
Isaac Adams
Adams in 1857
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
In office
1840–1840
Personal details
Born(1802-08-16)August 16, 1802
Rochester, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedJuly 19, 1883(1883-07-19) (aged 80)
Sandwich, New Hampshire, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
ChildrenJulius and Elizabeth
OccupationInventor, Politician
Known forAdams Power Press

Biography

Adams was born in Rochester, New Hampshire,[1][2] the son of Benjamin Adams and Elizabeth (Horne) Adams. His education was limited, and at an early age he was an operative[1] in a cotton factory. Afterward he learned the trade of cabinet maker, but in 1824 went to Boston and sought work in a machine shop.[1]

Line drawing of the Adams power bed and platen press[3]

In 1828 he invented the Adams printing press, which he improved in 1834,[1] and it was introduced in 1830 as "Adams Power Press".[3] The machine "worked a revolution in the art of printing," and beginning in 1836, became the leading machine used in book printing for much of the nineteenth century, and was distributed worldwide. It substantially reduced the cost of book production, and made books more widely available.

With his brother Seth, a noted sugar refiner, Adams engaged in the manufacture of printing presses, sugar mills, steam engines (stationary and marine), steam boilers and other machines, and formed the company I. & S. Adams in 1836.

He was a member of the Massachusetts Senate in 1840,[1] and the Emigrant Aid Company. His last years were spent in retirement. He died on July 19, 1883.[1]

References
  1. Johnson 1906, p. 41
  2. Bowdoin College 1902, p. 214
  3. Gilman, Peck & Colby 1905, p. 407

Sources
  • Bowdoin College (1902). General Catalogue of Bowdoin College and the Medical School of Maine. Brunswick, Maine: University of Chicago. p. 214. OCLC 49442457. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "Printing" . New International Encyclopedia. 16 (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Adams, Isaac". The Biographical Dictionary of America. 1. Boston: American Biographical Society. p. 41. Retrieved October 26, 2020.

Further reading


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