Joseph Whitworth
Sir Joseph Whitworth, 1st Baronet FRS FRSA (21 December 1803 – 22 January 1887) was an English engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist. In 1841, he devised the British Standard Whitworth system, which created an accepted standard for screw threads. Whitworth also created the Whitworth rifle, often called the "sharpshooter" because of its accuracy, which is considered one of the earliest examples of a sniper rifle, used by some Confederate forces during the American Civil war.
Sir Joseph Whitworth | |
|---|---|
By unknown artist, Whitworth c. 1846 | |
| Born | 21 December 1803 Stockport, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 22 January 1887 (aged 83) Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Engineering career | |
| Institutions | Royal Society Institution of Mechanical Engineers |
| Significant advance | Whitworth standardised screw threads |
| Awards | FRS (1857)
Albert Medal (1868) |
Whitworth was created a baronet by Queen Victoria in 1869. Upon his death in 1887, Whitworth bequeathed much of his fortune for the people of Manchester, with the Whitworth Art Gallery and Christie Hospital partly funded by Whitworth's money. Whitworth Street and Whitworth Hall in Manchester are named in his honour.
Whitworth's company merged with the W.G. Armstrong & Mitchell Company to become Armstrong Whitworth in 1897.