Herbert Merrick
Portrait of Herbert Merrick
Born
Herbert Lansing Merrick

April 16, 1873
Brooklyn, New York, US
DiedMay 2, 1938 (aged 65)
Passaic, New Jersey, US
Occupations
  • Engineer
  • inventor
  • entrepreneur

Herbert Lansing Merrick (April 16, 1873 – May 2, 1938) was an American engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur. He invented the first[1][2][3][4][5] beltweighers, which automatically weigh bulk materials as they are passed along a conveyor belt without stoppage.[6]

Early life and education

Merrick was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 16, 1873, to Charles Merrick and Anna Merrick.[7] One of three brothers, Merrick attended Bergen County public schools before graduating from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1892 with a Mechanical Engineering degree.[6] After graduation he would work as an engineer and draftsman at various companies before starting his own manufacturing company.[2]

Career

In 1908, Merrick established the Merrick Scale Manufacturing Company [1] following the invention of his weighing systems.[3][4][5] Over the coming years, he would find success as one of the first manufacturers of conveyor scales, and become a key figure in growing the conveyor weighing industry.[1]

Personal life

Merrick was married to Katherine Selleck, they had one daughter together. Merrick was a member of the First Reformed Church of Passaic and director of the People's Bank and Trust Company. He also was an avid sailor and owned a boat named after his wife and daughter.[2] On May 2, 1938, Herbert Merrick passed away after a long illness. He was 65 years old.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Stevens Indicator". The Stevens Indicator. Hoboken, New Jersey: Stevens Institute of Technology. 1938.
  2. 1 2 3 "H.L. Merrick, Inventor, Dies". The Herald-News. Associated Press. May 3, 1938.
  3. 1 2 US patent 954869A
  4. 1 2 US patent 954870A
  5. 1 2 US patent 1018068A
  6. 1 2 Scott, William (1922). History of Passaic and Its Environs: Volume 3. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. pp. 301, 302.
  7. ↑ Furman, Franklin De Ronde (1905). Morton Memorial: A History of the Stevens Institute of Technology with biographies of the Trustees, Faculty, and Alumni, and a record of the achievements of the Stevens Family of Engineers. Hoboken, New Jersey: Stevens Institute of Technology. p. 492.
  8. ↑ "The New York Times". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. 1938-05-04. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
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