A Brief Biography Of Robert Fulton's History

Robert Fulton was born on November 14th 1765 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Robert’s father was a tailor by trade; he gave up his farming skills and moved back in with Robert and his family. Unfortunately, three years later he passed.

Fulton went to a strict Quaker school and got in trouble often. A classmate of his gave him a paint shells because of how good of a painter he was. Fulton began to make signs for the local tradesman this began his interest in painting and designs. Fulton was always creative even since he was a kid. On April in 1775, he submitted designs to the gunsmiths shop and ended up designing the air gun. Fulton’s family was poor.

When Fulton was 17 years old, he was apprenticed to Jeremiah Andrews. Jeremiah Andrews was a jeweler in Philadelphia. He wove hair into patterns for jewelry and painted on chips of ivory.

In 1786, Fulton got tuberculosis; this is an infection in the lungs. He bought a farm in Washington, and then moved to Virginia. People think Bath, Virginia is where Fulton may have met James Rumsey. James Rumsey was an experimenter; he began using steam to pump water through a pipe. Fulton was more interested in studying painting. He traveled to Europe to do this.

He ended up opening a painting shop near the Delaware River. He met Ben Franklin in Philadelphia. Franklin took Fulton up as a student and helped him lodge. Fulton found friends who built their own canals. He had met many great experimenters such as the earl of Stanhope.

Fulton was inspired by his friends work. In 1792 Fulton gave up art for civil engineering. He developed systems of canals to transport goods in to the towns. He also designed cutting machines and spinning flax. He talked with Lord Stanhope ab...

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...e century. Fulton later married Livingston’s niece. The steamboat went 150 miles in 32 hours. With other boats it usually takes 4 days.

The steamboat was getting better and better. It could soon hold 14 passengers. The Steamboat was called the “North River” it was rebuilt; it had three cabins a kitchen and a bar. Harriet Livingston and Fulton had 4 children. He continued building boats. He even designed ferries and convinced the Congress to let him make a steam Warship. It was called the Demologos.

Fulton’s disease was coming back to him. One night, he wanted to talk about boating rights, his lawyer fell thorough the ice. He rescued him but returned home very ill. On February 23rd, 1815 he passed. A massive funeral was held for him. He was an amazing engineer, and artist. He helped end war and Steamboats would never be the same without him.