William Armstrong Fairburn was a noted American author, naval architect, marine engineer, industrial executive, and chemist.
Biography
He was the son of Thomas W. Fairburn and Elizabeth Jemima Frosdick, who married in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, in 1867. Census information shows that Thomas worked as a ship fitter, then foreman at a ship yard in Braintree, Massachusetts. He made trips home to visit family still in Huddersfield, and his passport application 1923 shows that he was born in Hull, England in 1849, and that his father was another Thomas.
William was born in Huddersfield, England, 12 October 1876, the 1891 census showing that he had already begun work as a "Post Office boy" by the age of 14. He emigrated in May 1891 from Liverpool to New York on the "S.S. Servia" with his mother Elizabeth, and sisters Alice and Annie, following his father who had emigrated the year before. He attended the public schools in Bath, Maine, became an apprentice, and by age 18 was a master mechanic. In 1896, he went to the University of Glasgow and studied naval architecture and marine engineering for a year.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →He returned home to work at Bath Iron Works where he built an all-steel freighter, the first in America. By 1900 he was an independent consultant. In this capacity, he met O. C. Barber and Edward R. Stettinius, Sr., at the Stirling Boiler Co. later merged into Babcock & Wilcox. They were also executives at the Diamond Match Company, and in 1909 they put Fairburn in charge of its operations in hopes of solving some problems it had encountered. In the 1910 census Groton, Connecticut, Fairburn is shown as a naval architect.
A major problem at Diamond Match was the white phosphorus used in making matches which caused health problems for workers and poisoned children who ate the matches. Fairburn discovered company patents which provided an alternative, and, working with company chemists, by 1911 an improved match, which substituted sesquisulfide for the phosphorus, was introduced.
At Diamond Match, Fairburn also discovered and worked out a chemical process for extracting potash from kelp. Owing to this discovery, the price of matches did not increase when the start of World War I shut off the old sources of potash supply. Fairburn later became president of the Diamond Match Company in 1915, succeeding Stettenius. In the 1930 census Morris, New Jersey, he is shown as an executive in a match factory.
The Fairburn Marine Education Foundation, Inc., of Center Lovell, Maine, was established in his honor.
Writings
Fairburn published several dozen books in the early twentieth century concerned generally with sociology in the workplace, theories and speculations on human potentialities, and other topics. Among his works are:
- Human Chemistry 1914 This work describes workers as chemical elements in a well-stocked laboratory and handlers of people as chemists.
- Man and his health; Liquids 1916
- Life and Work 1916
- Mentality and Freedom 1917
- Organization and Success 1923
- Justice and Law 1927
- Russia, the Utopia in chains 1931
- Work and workers: Essays and miscellaneous writings 1933
Family
He married Isabella Louise Ramsay born 4 August 1878, Summerfield, Prince Edward Island, Canada in September 1904.
Top questions
Who was William Armstrong Fairburn?
William Armstrong Fairburn (1876 to 1947) was an American writer, naval architect, marine engineer, industrial executive and chemist. Born in Huddersfield, England, he emigrated to the United States in 1891 and became president of the Diamond Match Company in 1915. He also wrote several dozen books on workplace sociology and human potential.
What was Fairburn's role at the Diamond Match Company?
In 1909, executives of the Diamond Match Company put Fairburn in charge of its operations in hopes of solving problems the company had encountered. He worked with company chemists on a safer match and developed a process for extracting potash from kelp. In 1915 he became president of the company, succeeding Edward R. Stettinius, Sr.
How did Fairburn make matches safer?
White phosphorus in matches caused health problems for workers and poisoned children who ate them. Fairburn found company patents that offered an alternative and, working with company chemists, introduced an improved match by 1911 that substituted sesquisulfide for the phosphorus.
How did Fairburn keep match prices from rising during the First World War?
At Diamond Match, Fairburn discovered and worked out a chemical process for extracting potash from kelp. Because of this, the price of matches did not increase when the start of the First World War shut off the old sources of potash supply.
What is Human Chemistry by William Fairburn?
Human Chemistry (1914) describes workers as chemical elements in a well-stocked laboratory and the handlers of people as chemists. It draws on his experience as a chemist and as president of the Diamond Match Company, and it has been described as the first book on the science of human chemistry, discussing ideas such as the human catalyst and human entropy.
Where did William Fairburn study?
Fairburn attended the public schools in Bath, Maine, after emigrating from England in 1891, then became an apprentice and by age 18 was a master mechanic. In 1896 he went to the University of Glasgow, where he studied naval architecture and marine engineering for a year before returning to work at Bath Iron Works.
