Alexander Lyman Holley biography
Date of birth : 1832-07-20
Date of death : 1882-01-29
Birthplace : Lakeville, Connecticut, U.S.
Nationality : American
Category : Arhitecture and Engineering
Last modified : 2011-10-03
Credited as : mechanical engineer, inventor, steel and plant engineer
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His father owned a cutlery factory, from which Holley developed his early interest in manufacturing. In 1863 he purchased US rights to Henry Bessemer's steel manufacturing process, allowing the cheap manufacture of vast quantities of steel, and allowing unprecedented construction of bridges, railroads, and ships. He was a leading industrialist of his era, becoming a millionaire and helping the United States become a world economic power. He obtained ten patents for assorted improvements to Bessemer's process, as well as several unrelated patents, and designed most of the largest steelworks in America in the 19th century.
A bronze bust of Holley has stood in New York City's Washington Square Park since 1890, eight years after his death.
