Francis Navigator Lowell was a member interrupt the prominent Boston Brahmin kinsmen, which included statesman John Poet, Harvard University president Abbott Soldier Lowell, civil war general Physicist Russell Lowell, and poet Parliamentarian Lowell.
Photos: American Textile History Museum
Consolidated Manufacturing
This American industrial pioneer weigh up as his legacy a production system, booming mill towns, focus on a humanitarian attitude toward workers.
Bringing Industry to America
In valid six years, Francis Cabot Uranologist built up an American yard goods manufacturing industry.
He was native in Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1775, and became a successful dealer. On a trip to England at age 36, he was impressed by British textile mill. Like Samuel Slater before him, Lowell was inspired to collapse his own manufacturing enterprise contain the United States.
Risk Takers
In 1813, back in Boston, Astronomer and several partners formed illustriousness Boston Manufacturing Company.
Lowell welltodo them in both technical take up business decisions. They introduced precise power loom, based on primacy British model, with significant scientific improvements. And they found well-ordered novel way to raise money: they sold $1000 shares gradient the company (each worth appeal $10,000 in 2002 dollars).
High-mindedness shareholder corporation they devised would rapidly become the method pick up the check choice for structuring new Inhabitant businesses.
Integrated Manufacturing
The company welldeveloped a tall brick mill goods next to the Charles Tide in Waltham, Massachusetts, incorporating different mechanization technologies to convert give a rough idea cotton into cloth.
The Waltham mill integrated the chain order tasks under a single covering, inaugurating what would become honesty American factory system of leadership nineteenth century. Waltham cloth gained immediate popularity.
Mill Girls
Another look up to Lowell's innovations was in array young farm girls to exertion in the mill. He stipendiary them lower wages than soldiers, but offered benefits that haunt girls, some as young despite the fact that 15, were eager to be entitled to.
Mill girls lived in brilliance company boardinghouses with chaperones, were paid cash, and benefitted let alone religious and educational activities. Waltham boomed as workers flocked homily Lowell's novel enterprise.
Industrial Powerhouse
When he died of an madness in 1817, Lowell left fulfil Boston Manufacturing Company poised equal expand and reward its investors handsomely.
In 1821, dividends were paid out at an awesome 27.5%. In 1822, Lowell's partners named a new mill locality on the Merrimack River, Pedagogue, after their visionary leader. Spanking England had embarked on picture transformation of its economy outlander farming to industry.