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John Stevens was born into a wealthy family in New York City in 1749. Stevens was born more than 25 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence and more than 30 years before the United States existed as a sovereign state. His father was a ship owner and merchant and provided handsomely for his family. When John was a boy, the Steven...

After his brief career in law and politics, Stevens turned his attention to steam navigation. He was truly a pioneer of this science, as it was then only in an experimental stage. His political connections came in handy later, however. In order to protect his inventions, Stevens petitioned Congress for patent laws to prevent others from unjustly ap...

The ability of entrepreneurs to protect their inventions can be traced back to John Stevens. Stevens outlined a patent law and is credited with convincing Congress to pass it. He was also among the first to be granted a patent under that law. Stevens patented several important inventions in steamboat engine design. Stevens, in competition with Fult...

Bibliography

Preston, Wheeler. American Biographies.New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1940. Reprint, Detroit: Gale Research, 1974. Thurston, Robert H. "A History of the Growth of the Steam Engine." Available from http://www.history.rochester.edu/steam/thurston/1878/index.html. "Tales of the Early Republic." Available from http://www.panix.com/hal/ Van Doren, Charles, ed. Webster's American Biographies.1979 ed. Springfield, MA: G & C Merriam Co., 1974. World of Invention.Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.