Born June 9, 1768

Belper, England

Died April 20, 1835

Webster, Rhode Island

Industrialist who brought secret designs of early textile machinery to the United States

Samuel Slater. Library of Congress.

"I understand you have taught us how to spin."

U.S. president Andrew Jackson, who called Slater "father of American manufactures"

When Samuel Slater landed in the United States in 1789, he brought with him detailed plans to make automated machinery used to spin yarn from cotton, equipment that was a key element in launching the Industrial Revolution in the United States. The Industrial Revolution is the historical process of replacing traditional hand-crafted methods of manufacturing with complex machinery using energy sources besides muscle power, such as steam engines or waterwheels. Slater did not pack the plans in his baggage, which would have violated English law. He brought the designs in his head. After years of working with industrial...