Theodore Tuttle Woodruff (April 8, 1811 – May 2, 1892) was an American inventor.
Theodore Tuttle Woodruff | |
---|---|
Born | Jefferson County, New York | April 8, 1811
Died | May 2, 1892 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | (aged 81)
Occupation | Inventor |
Spouse |
Eliza Lord Hemenway (m. 1833) |
Children | 2 |
Signature | |
Theodore Tuttle Woodruff was born in Jefferson County, New York on April 8, 1811.[1]
He married Eliza Lord Hemenway on July 25, 1833, and they had two children.[1]
On December 2, 1856, Woodruff received two patents for a convertible car seat, which led to his invention of the sleeping car for railroads. He also helped to manage the Pennsylvania Railroad through its general manager Andrew Carnegie.
Woodruff also invented a coffee-hulling machine, a surveyor's compass and a steam plow.
He lost his fortune in the Panic of 1873.[1]
He was killed when he was struck by a train in Philadelphia on May 2, 1892.[2]
One of Woodruff's descendants was the 20th century diplomat, Charles Woodruff Yost.[3][4][5]