Notable people · Business · Science
Worcester R. Warner
Massachusetts-born machinist who co-founded Warner & Swasey in 1880 with Ambrose Swasey; the firm moved to Cleveland in 1881 and built major observatory telescope mounts, including the Lick Observatory 36-inch refractor.
At a glance
- Born
- 1846-05-16
- Died
- 1929-06-25
- Known as
- Business, Science
- Organizations
- Warner & Swasey
Life story
Worcester Warner was born on a Cummington, Massachusetts farm in 1846. He met Ambrose Swasey as an apprentice at Exeter Machine Works, and both worked at Pratt & Whitney in Hartford from 1870.
They founded Warner & Swasey in 1880, starting in Chicago and then moving to Cleveland. The firm became known for telescopes, though its profits came from machine tools and military instruments.
Warner was the 16th president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a trustee of Case School of Applied Science. He and Swasey gave Case their private observatory, dedicated as the Warner and Swasey Observatory in 1920.
He moved to Tarrytown, New York, in 1911 and died in Germany in 1929. He is buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. A medal for ASME and a lunar crater carry his name.
Timeline
- 1846-05-16: Born in Cummington, Massachusetts (Cummington, MA) source
- 1870: Joins Pratt & Whitney in Hartford (Hartford, CT) source
- 1880: Co-founds Warner & Swasey (Chicago, IL) source
- 1890: Marries Cornelia Blakemore (US) source
- 1897: Becomes ASME president (to 1898) (US) source
- 1911: Moves to Tarrytown, New York (Tarrytown, NY) source
- 1920: Warner and Swasey Observatory dedicated (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1929-06-25: Dies in Eisenach, Germany; buried at Sleepy Hollow (Eisenach, Germany) source
What Worcester is known for
- Co-founded Warner & Swasey (1880; Cleveland from 1881)
- Telescope and mount work for Lick Observatory, U.S. Naval Observatory and Yerkes
- Warner & Swasey Company
- Warner and Swasey Observatory gift to Case
Honors and things named for them
- ASME president 1897-98; honorary member 1925
- Worcester Reed Warner Medal (ASME, from his bequest, 1930)
- Lunar crater Warner
Family
- partner: Ambrose Swasey
- wife: Cornelia Blakemore
- daughter: Helen Blakemore Warner
Places in Ohio to see
- Warner and Swasey Observatory (museum)
Taylor Rd, East Cleveland, Cuyahoga County ZIP 44112 (approximate) · East Cleveland · Cuyahoga County · official page
Ohio places
Where Worcester R. Warner was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Worked: Cleveland, Cuyahoga County ZIP 44114 · Cleveland · Cuyahoga County
Myths and corrections
- Telescopes made the firm famous but machine tools and military instruments made the money.
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Worcester Reed Warner (Wikipedia, pointer) born 1846-05-16 Cummington MA, died 1929-06-25 Eisenach, Sleepy Hollow burial, 1880 founding
- Warner & Swasey Co. (Encyclopedia of Cleveland History) 1880 Chicago partnership, Cleveland Aug 1881, Lick telescope