biography
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1814–62)
|
| biography:
| Inventor and manufacturer, born in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. An indifferent student, he worked in his father's dye and bleaching company (1824–7, 1831–2) and was sent away to sea (1830–1). While at sea, he made a wooden model of an automatically revolving breech pistol, and on returning to the USA he made metal models. To promote his inventions he went on a tour as Dr Coult, lecturing on the marvels of chemistry. By 1836 he had patents on his pistol in England, France, and the USA, and began to manufacture them in Paterson, NJ. His factory was one of the most innovative in its use of mass-production techniques, and the Colt ‘six shooter’ became popular with individuals, especially in the American West, but not with the US Army. The company failed in 1842, and he turned his attention to developing underwater mines and telegraph cable. When the Mexican War began (1846), the army placed an order for 1000 revolvers and he had to subcontract the work to Eli Whitney's factory (Whitneyville, CT); but by 1848 he was making the revolver in his own impressive factory in Hartford, CT. He directed Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Co until his death. |
|
|
