Ambrose Swasey

Ambrose Swasey (December 19, 1846 – June 15, 1937) was an American mechanical engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, manager, astronomer, and philanthropist. With Worcester Reed Warner he co-founded the Warner & Swasey Company.

Life and work Swasey was born near Exeter, New Hampshire to Nathaniel and Abigail Swasey. He apprenticed as a machinist at the Exeter Machine Works and was afterwards employed at Pratt & Whitney. which quickly moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Swasey would perform the engineering and machine development at this company.

The close friends Warner and Swasey built their homes next to each other on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, a street that was known as "Millionaire's Row".

In addition to army ordnance contracts, the firm of Warner & Swasey became notable for their work on astronomical observatories and equipment. The founders were interested in astronomy as an avocation, and in the field's quest for better optical telescopes, which was burgeoning at the time. They also realized that obtaining contracts to build large astronomical observatories would provide publicity for their company.

Legacy

Swasey Hall in front of the statue of Sun Yat-sen at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Both Warner and Swasey were amateur astronomers. When they became trustees of the Case School of Applied Science, they donated to the school their private observatory, which they had built between their neighboring houses in East Cleveland. Relocated to a new building, this became the Warner and Swasey Observatory. In 1922 he was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences In 1932 he was awarded the Franklin Medal. in 1933 he was awarded the ASME Medal. In 1936 he was awarded the Hoover Medal. Swasey was a member of the United States National Research Council. In 1982 Swasey was elected to the Machine Tool Hall of Fame of the American Precision Museum.