WHITNEY, (1765-1825). An American
inventor, famous for his invention of the cotton
gin. He was born at Westboro, Mass., and
was educated at Yale College, where he graduated
in 1792. He then went to Georgia as a
teacher, where he found a generous patron in the
widow of General Nathanael Greene, of the
Revolutionary Army, on whose estate he resided, and
studied law. While here he had opportunity to
display his inventive genius, and at the request
of some neighbors of Mrs. Greene he attempted
to devise a machine for separating the seed from
the fibre of the green seed cotton. He set
to work under great disadvantages, having to
make his own tools, and even to draw his own
wire, while rumors of his success led some
lawless people to break into his workshop and steal
his machine before he could obtain a patent for
it. Forming a partnership with one Miller in
1793, he went to Connecticut to manufacture
cotton gins, but litigation in defense of his rights
consumed all his profits and $50,000 voted him
by the State of South Carolina. Finally, in 1798
he got a Government contract for the manufacture
of firearms, which he carried out with ingenious
machinery so arranged as to secure absolute
interchangeability of parts. His manufactory of
firearms was located at Whitneyville, Conn., and was maintained with success. Whitney had but little material reward from the gin, which immediately proved one of the most important inventions connected with the cotton manufacture. See ; .