Robert Parker Parrott
Born: October 5, 1804
Birthplace: Lee, New Hampshire
Father: United States Senator John Fabyan Parrott 1767 – 1836
(Buried: Toscan Parrott Family Cemetery, Greenland, New Hampshire)
Mother: Hannah Skilling Parker 1771 – 1850
(Buried: Toscan Parrott Family Cemetery, Greenland, New Hampshire)
Wife: Mary Kemble 1799 – 1890
(Buried: Cold Spring Cemetery, Cold Spring, New York)
Children: None
Education:
1820-1824: Cadet at United States Military Academy at West Point, Graduating With Honors, 3rd in his Class
Military Service:
1824: Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 3rd Regiment of United States Artillery
1824-1829: Served as Assistant Professor at West Point teaching Natural & Experimental Philosophy, and Mathematics.
1829-1831: Served Garrison Duty at Fort Constitution, New Hampshire
1831-1834: Promoted to First Lieutenant, & Served at Fort Independence, Massachusetts
1836: Assigned to Staff Duty in the Military Operation in "Creek Nation" Georgia
1836: Receiving the appointment of Captain of Ordnance January 13
1836: Ordered to Washington, D.C. as Assistant to the Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance
1836: Traveled to West Point Foundry to inspect the cannons being cast there to be accepted for U.S. Army use.
1836: Capt. Parrott meets Gouverneur Kemble, and is offered the position of superintendent. Parrott is convinced that the West Point Foundry is his future.
1836: Resigned his commission in the U.S. Army, October 13
1836: Accepted the civilian position of superintendent of the West Point Foundry at Cold Spring, New York on October 31
1837-1839: Purchased the Greenwood Furnace from the Kemble Brothers
1840: Parrott marries Mary, the Daughter of Gouverneur Kemble
1840's: Parrot served as a local judge, as well as the local superintendent of the school system
1842: Gouverneur Kemble sends in a letter to the U.S. Ordnance Department, a proposal for an experiment with wrought iron hooping, to reinforce a cast iron 6-pdr. gun. In response, the department sends a reply, saying that they "see no objection" to such an experiment.
1851: Parrott becomes Sole Proprietor of West Point Foundry
1861: U.S. Patent for Parrott Rifle Manufacturing Process Granted
1861-1862: In an unprecedented arrangement, acting in Dual roles as Manufacturer and Ordnance Officer for the Federal Government, Parrott was responsible for making sure his own cannons met Ordnance Department specifications. Hence you will find only his R.P.P. Initials on most 1861 & 1862 Parrott Rifles.
1861: Parrott designs the 30-pdr, 20-pdr, & 100-pdr. Parrott Rifles
1862: Parrott designs and successfully casts his first 200-pdr. Parrott Rifle
1862: In June, Parrott gives Abraham Lincoln a tour of the Foundry and demonstrates firing 100-pdr. and 200-pdr. Parrott cannons
1863: Parrott designs and successfully casts his first 300-pdr. Parrott Rifle, his largest design.
1864: Parrott designs a 60-pdr. Rifle for the Navy
1865: In late April, as the War closes, Parrott agrees without reservation to cut production on Cannons and Shells despite standing contracts with the Ordnance Department.
1865: At close of American Civil War, Parrott's West Point Foundry had created and delivered over 2,700 cannons, and 1.3 million shells to the U.S. Army and Navy, and employed as many as 1,400 employees at any one time.
1867: Resigned as superintendent of the West Point Foundry
Died: December 24, 1877
Place of Death: Cold Spring, New York
Age at time of Death: 73 years old
Burial Place: Cold Spring Cemetery, Cold Spring, New York
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