Lewis Nixon (April 7, 1861 – September 23, 1940) was a naval architect , shipbuilding executive, public servant, and political activist . He designed the United States' first modern battleships , and supervised the construction of its first modern submarines , all before his 40th birthday. He was briefly the leader of Tammany Hall . He started an ill-fated effort to run seven major American shipyards under common ownership as the United States Shipbuilding Company , and he was the chair of the New York City commission that began construction of the Williamsburg Bridge .
28-399: Lewis Nixon may refer to: Lewis Nixon (naval architect) (1861–1940), shipbuilding executive, ship designer, and political activist Lewis Nixon III (1918–1995), World War II US Army officer in the 101st Airborne Division, known for his portrayal in the miniseries Band of Brothers , grandson of the above [REDACTED] Topics referred to by
56-464: A Doctor of Science degree from Villanova University . Soon after the contracts for the battleships were awarded, he resigned from the Navy to work as Superintendent of Construction for William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company , the shipyard that won the lead contract. In 1891, Nixon married Sally Lewis Wood of Washington, D.C., a descendant of General Andrew Lewis of Colonial Virginia . Their son
84-473: A larger car called a "Standard" through 1905. The auto lines were then sold to Hewitt Motor Co. of New York City. Nixon continued to serve as Standard Motor Construction's president into the next decade, when it was a major manufacturer of marine engines. In 1902, promoter John W. Young persuaded Nixon to preside over the consolidation of Crescent Shipyard with six other shipyards on the East and West Coasts, to form
112-456: A single shipbuilding trust, under the name United States Shipbuilding Company. Unfortunately, "the one thing [the consolidated firms] lacked, individually and collectively, was a realistic prospect of earning sustained profits." As the president of the new company, Nixon had convinced Charles M. Schwab , the U.S. Steel Corporation president and Bethlehem Steel owner, to help underwrite the business, while Schwab agreed to add Bethlehem Steel to
140-626: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Lewis Nixon (naval architect) Nixon was born on the eve of the American Civil War , in Leesburg, Virginia , to Colonel Joel Lewis Nixon and Mary Jane Turner. Leesburg, only three miles into the Confederacy , changed hands several times over the course of the War. His brother George H. Nixon fought in
168-610: The 101st Airborne Division during WWII , who was made famous by the miniseries Band of Brothers . Notes Sources Crescent Shipyard Crescent Shipyard , located on Newark Bay in Elizabeth, New Jersey , built a number of ships for the United States Navy and allied nations as well during their production run, which lasted about ten years while under the Crescent name and banner. Production of these ships began before
196-657: The USS ; Holland (SS-1) . The submarine's success led to an order for more submarines of the "Holland Type" by the Navy. Those subs, known as the Plunger -class submarines , were built at the Crescent Shipyard and the Union Iron Works , a shipbuilding firm near Mare Island Naval Shipyard , 20 miles north of San Francisco . These submarines became America's first fleet of underwater fighting vessels, and were operated by
224-503: The United States Navy had commandeered in order to finish three protected cruisers of the new steel navy: USS Atlanta , USS Boston , and USS Chicago . In 1890, with help from assistant naval constructor David W. Taylor , he designed the three Indiana -class battleships : USS Indiana (BB-1) , USS Massachusetts (BB-2) and USS Oregon (BB-3) . While in Pennsylvania, he earned
252-954: The Commission after he had complained of its slow and expensive pace. He appointed Nixon as the Commission's new president. Nixon continued to serve as the Commission's president during the bridge's construction until the Commission's powers were transferred to the Commissioner of Bridges on January 1, 1902. Nixon was active in Democratic Party politics. In December 1901, the longtime Tammany Hall boss Richard Croker chose Nixon as his successor. Croker's choice of Nixon surprised observers because Nixon had spoken out against vice and corruption in City government and seemingly had nothing in common with Croker. Nixon resigned several months later and explained, "I find that I cannot retain my self-respect and remain
280-599: The Spanish–American War and occurred far before the outbreak of World War I . Arthur Leopold Busch , a recent emigre from Great Britain, started the yard with former Navy Lt. Lewis Nixon in January 1895. Both men previously worked for William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia. Both Nixon and Busch were regarded to be amongst the best in their respected fields - and what they did at this time - as designers and builders of
308-777: The United States Navy on both coasts. These submarines also gave birth to a new company, founded by John Philip Holland on February 7, 1899. His company was then known as the Holland Torpedo Boat Company and (after 1904) the Electric Boat Company . Nixon also founded the International Smokeless Powder and Dynamite Company of Parlin, New Jersey . E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company acquired it company from Nixon in 1904, forming part of what would soon be deemed DuPont's unlawful monopoly of
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#1732844764344336-756: The Virginia Cavalry as a member of " Mosby's Raiders ." Nixon graduated first in his class from the United States Naval Academy in 1882 and was sent to study naval architecture at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich , where, in 1885, he again graduated first in the class. On Nixon's return to the United States, he was assigned to the John Roach & Sons shipyard in Chester, Pennsylvania , which
364-710: The Works, which was then rebuilt and resumed operations. He died on September 23, 1940, at Monmouth Memorial Hospital in Long Branch, New Jersey . In 1895, the New York Legislature authorized the East River Bridge Commission to undertake a second span across the river, ultimately known as the Williamsburg Bridge . In January 1898, New York City Mayor Robert A. Van Wyck sacked the entire membership of
392-404: The first commissioned submarine of the United States Navy , USS Holland (SS-1) . The Holland is considered technologically revolutionary in several respects. This submarine was considered a historic first, and revolutionary in a timeline of naval innovations in world history. Internationally, many "advanced" industrialized nations around the world took note – almost immediately – and some acquired
420-503: The gunpowder industry. Nixon also founded the United States Long Distance Automobile Company. From 1901 to 1903, its Jersey City, New Jersey , factory manufactured gasoline-powered cars "to meet the requirements of those who seek simplicity of construction, economy in running and unusual strength and durability." In January 1904, the company became Standard Motor Construction Company, which manufactured
448-695: The latest, most advanced types of ships. Nixon, a cofounder of Crescent Shipyard was also the lead designer of America's first class of battleships at William Cramp & Sons Shipyard, in Philadelphia. He also built the Anstice yacht (1902) that was renamed the Sandy Hook . Isaac Rice 's Electric Launch Company , which was started to build electrically propelled launches and small craft, also began its operations here. 40°38′42.06″N 74°11′18.66″W / 40.6450167°N 74.1885167°W / 40.6450167; -74.1885167 . The Crescent Shipyard
476-546: The leader of the Tammany organization." He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention seven times. A friend and supporter of three-time Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan , Nixon played a key role in the 1908 Democratic National Convention , where he chaired the subcommittee on the platform, overcame Tammany's initial hostility to Bryan to deliver New York's delegation for him, and
504-570: The required use of wireless communication devices on ships. He also suggested that ships have a more efficient way of reversing. In 1910, Müller-Ury completed a three-quarter-length seated portrait of Nixon that was exhibited at Knoedler's that December. From 1915 until his death, Nixon was president of the Nixon Nitration Works , in what is now the Nixon section of Edison , New Jersey . A 1924 explosion and resulting fire destroyed much of
532-548: The rights to build them soon after the purchase of the Holland VI on 11 April 1900. Busch, as shipyard construction chief and naval architect for Lewis Nixon, went on to supervise the building of the prototype "Fulton", which followed the USS Holland and was used as an example and template in development of America's A-class or Adder -class submarines . Busch reviewed the engineering plans of Fulton with Holland, who approved
560-404: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lewis_Nixon&oldid=792316506 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
588-609: The shipyard in 1904. Electric Boat had subcontracted with the Fore River Shipbuilding yard for some twenty years (since this time) before moving to their present location in Groton, CT. Bethlehem Elizabethport built United States Shipping Board cargo Ships , tugboats , reefer ships , tanker ships starting in 1918 for World War I. The ships were part of the Emergency Fleet Corporation program. The site of
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#1732844764344616-501: The venture. However, the terms that Nixon and Schwab had negotiated for Schwab's financing were so one-sided in favor of Schwab and Bethlehem Steel that, when United States Shipbuilding failed almost immediately, it damaged the business reputations of both Nixon and Schwab. Within a year of its incorporation, the company's mortgage-holders forced it into receivership. It emerged from receivership, without Nixon, as Bethlehem Steel and Shipbuilding Company , in 1904. One of its first actions
644-702: The works of Busch. These pioneering submarines were built for the Holland Torpedo Boat Company named after this company's founder John Philip Holland . Work on these submarines began at this shipyard in the late fall of 1896 with the keel to the Holland VI being laid down by early December of that year. Holland's company evolved into the Electric Boat Company after this company was officially incorporated on 7 February 1899. Japan's first five submarines were developed under Busch's direction while working at Fore River Ship and Engine Company in Quincy, Massachutsetts for Electric Boat and Admiral Francis T. Bowles , President of
672-495: The yard built many vessels, including torpedo boats USS Nicholson (TB-29) and USS O'Brien (TB-30) , cruiser USS Chattanooga (CL-18) , monitor USS Florida (BM-9) , gunboat USS Annapolis (PG-10) , and Anstice yacht (1902) that was renamed the Sandy Hook . Beginning in December 1896, the Crescent Shipyard built the United States' first submarines , including
700-656: Was Stanhope Wood Nixon , whom Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-Ury (1862–1947) would paint full-length in Scottish costume in 1902-1903. Sally would die on June 15, 1937, three years before Nixon himself. In January 1895, Nixon leased the Crescent Shipyard in Elizabeth, New Jersey , and launched his own business. His superintendent-in-charge was Arthur Leopold Busch , another former William Cramp & Sons shipbuilder and naval architect, who had come from Great Britain to Philadelphia in 1892. Under Nixon and Busch,
728-518: Was operated by Nixon until 1904. In 1904 Crescent Shipyard was acquired by Bethlehem Steel in 1904. Bethlehem Steel leased the yard to John W. Sullivan and part to New Jersey Dry Dock & Transportation Company. In 1916, Bethlehem Steel took over operation of the shipyard. The yard was closed permanently shortly after the conclusion of World War I in 1921. Busch, as this shipyard's superintendent, supervised several classes of naval ships, including gunboats , monitors , and cruisers in addition to
756-570: Was to close Crescent Shipyard. By then, Nixon had re-entered the shipbuilding business by leasing a yard in Perth Amboy, New Jersey . From late 1904 to January 1906, Nixon was in Russia supervising the construction of ten torpedo boats for the navy of Czar Nicholas II . Nixon's shipbuilding expertise was called upon after the sinking of the RMS ; Titanic . Nixon suggested numerous changes including
784-466: Was urged as Bryan's running-mate. A resident of Staten Island , Nixon served from 1914 to 1915 as the borough's Acting Commissioner of Public Works and its consulting engineer. In 1919, New York Governor Al Smith appointed Nixon as the State's Superintendent of Public Works, and then as New York City's Regulatory Public Service Commissioner. Nixon was the grandfather of Lewis Nixon III , an officer in
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