John Stevens provided the impetus for the steamboat industry that revolutionized the United States. The son of a merchant and ship owner and member of a very wealthy family, Stevens was born in New York City and graduated from King's College in 1768. Though he became an attorney three years later, he never went into practice and instead followed his father into politics, becoming treasurer of New Jersey during the Revolutionary War, obtaining the rank of colonel. He later used his political connections in Congress to petition for the passage of the first U.S. patent laws in 1790.

In 1784, Stevens bought a huge estate on the west side of the Hudson River (most of which is now Hoboken, New Jersey) and later, bought the ferry service between Hoboken and New York. His interest in improving the service with steam-driven boats was inspired by the work of John Fitch and...