| Oliver Fisher Winchester | |
 Winchester circa 1847 | |
| Born | November 30, 1810 Boston |
|---|---|
| Died | December 11, 1880 New Haven, Connecticut |
| Occupation | Winchester Repeating Arms Company |
| Spouse | Jane Ellen Hope |
| Children | Ann Rebecca Winchester (1835-1864) William Wirt Winchester (1837-1881) Hannah Jane Winchester |
| Parents | Samuel Winchester Hannah Bates |
Oliver Fisher Winchester (November 30, 1810 – December 11, 1880) was an American businessman and politician. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 1810 ( MDCCCX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century William Wirt Winchester ( June 22, 1837 – March 7, 1881) was the second president of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company from Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 1810 ( MDCCCX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A businessperson (also businessman or businesswoman) is someone who is employed at usually a profit-oriented enterprise, or more specifically someone A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person
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Birth and marriage
He was the son of Samuel Winchester and Hannah Bates and was born in Boston on November 30, 1810. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 1810 ( MDCCCX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year He married Jane Ellen Hope in Boston on February 20, 1834. Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 1834 ( MDCCCXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Their children were:
- Ann Rebecca Winchester (1835-1864) who married Charles B. Dye
- William Wirt Winchester (1837-1881) who married Sarah Lockwood Pardee
- Hannah Jane Winchester who married Thomas Gray Bennett
Career
Winchester was known for manufacturing and marketing the Winchester repeating rifle, which was a much re-designed descendant of the Volcanic rifle of some years earlier. William Wirt Winchester ( June 22, 1837 – March 7, 1881) was the second president of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company from The name Winchester rifle is frequently used to describe any of the Lever-action rifles manufactured in the U A repeating rifle is a single barreled Rifle containing multiple rounds of Ammunition. Winchester started as a clothing manufacturer in New York City and New Haven, Connecticut. The City of New York During this period he discovered that a division of Smith & Wesson firearms was failing financially with one of their newly patented arms. Having an eye for opportunity, Winchester assembled venture capital together with other stockholders and acquired the S&W division, better known as the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company, in 1850. By 1856, Winchester had positioned himself as the principal stockholder in the company and relocated to New Haven, changing the name to New Haven Arms Company.
Initially, the company was plagued by sluggish returns, which was in part attributed to the design and poor performance of the Volcanic cartridge: a hollow conical ball filled with black powder and sealed by a cork primer. Although the Volcanic's repeater design far outpaced the rival technology, the poor performance and reliability of the . 25 and . 32 caliber cartridges used in the pistol and rifle models respectively, was little match for the competitors' larger calibers.
Fortunately for Winchester, he inherited a brilliant engineer, Benjamin Tyler Henry, who would prove an invaluable asset. Benjamin Tyler Henry (1821&ndash1898 was an American Gunsmith and Manufacturer. Henry sought to improve on the Volcanic repeating rifle, by enlarging the frame and magazine to accommodate seventeen of his newly redesigned, all-brass case, . 44 caliber rimfire cartridges. This new cartridge put the new company on the map, and Henry's ingenuity was rewarded with a patent in his name October 16, 1860, for what was to become the famous Henry rifle. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting The Henry repeating rifle is a Lever-action, Tubular magazine Breech-loading Rifle.
The Henry Rifle was manufactured for almost six years with a total production of approximately 12,000 rifles, both iron and brass frame models. Following the success of the Henry rifle, the company was reorganized once more and renamed the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. In 1866, employee Nelson King's new improved patent remedied flaws in the Henry rifle by incorporating a loading gate on the side of the frame and integrating a round sealed magazine which was covered by a fore stock. The first Winchester rifle was the Model 1866, the Yellow boy.
Repeating rifles were used to some extent in the American Civil War. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South However, the United States Army at that time did not use many repeating rifles as it was a new, untested technology. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Repeating rifles were not widely used until after the war, when they became increasingly popular with civilians. Military authorities concentrated primarily on perfecting breech-loading single shot rifles for many more years. With thousands of rifles in the hands of the average pioneer, the Winchester repeating rifles gained a reputation as "the gun that won the West".
Oliver Winchester was also active in politics, serving as a New Haven City Commissioner, Republican Presidential elector in 1864, and as Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1866 - 1867. The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Year 1866 ( MDCCCLXVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting
When Winchester died on December 11, 1880, his ownership in the company passed to his son, William Wirt Winchester, who died of tuberculosis in March of the next year. William Wirt Winchester ( June 22, 1837 – March 7, 1881) was the second president of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company from Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or T u' b' erculosis Bacillus --> is a common William's wife Sarah believed the family was cursed by the spirits killed by the Winchester rifle, and moved to San Jose, California and began building a chaotic mansion now known as the Winchester Mystery House with her inheritance, intending to confuse the spirits seeking revenge. The Winchester Mystery House is a well-known California Mansion that was under construction continuously for 38 years and is reputed to be haunted.
Legacy
Winchester Avenue in New Haven is named in his honor. Winchester Hall (no longer standing) at the Sheffield Scientific School was named in his honor. Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven Connecticut for instruction in science and engineering The Jane Ellen Hope building at the Yale Medical School is named in his wife's honor. The Yale School of Medicine at Yale University is a private Medical school located in New Haven, Connecticut, U
In 2006, the Olin Corporation, owners of the Winchester name, closed their factory in New Haven amidst much protest, finally ending all Winchester ties with the city.
External links
- Oliver Winchester's grave
- Henry repeating rifle US Patent no. 30,446 & other resources
- Winchester Model 1866 US Patents no. 55,012 - 57,808 & other resources
| Preceded by Founder | President of Winchester Repeating Arms Company 1857-1880 | Succeeded by William Wirt Winchester |
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