WHITNEY, ELI, American inventor, was b. at Westborough, Mass., Dec. 8, 1765, and was educated at Yale college, where he paid his expenses partly by school teaching, partly by mechanical labor. Having graduated in 1792, he went to Georgia as a teacher; but finding a generous patron in the widow of gen. Greene, of the rcvolutieuary army. he resided on her estate, and studied law. The cotton culture at this period, especially that of the best kind, the "green seed," was limited by the slow and difficult work of separating the cotton from the seed by band; but Mrs. Greene told her complaining neighbors that shewas sure Whitney could help them out of their trouble, for he could make anything. At their desire, he set to work under great disadvantages, for he had to make his own tools, and even draw his own wire; but the reports of his success prompted some lawless people to break into his workshop, and steal his machine, and get others made before he could secure a patent. Ile, however, formed a partner
ship with one Miller in 1793, and went to Connecticut to manufacture cotton gins; but the lawsuits in defense of his rights took all his profits, and $50,000 voted him by the state of South Carolina. Finally in 1798 he got a government contract for the manufac ture of fire-arms, and was the first to effect the division of labor, by which each part was made separately. lie made a fortune by this manufacture, carried out with ingenious machinery at Whitnevville, Conn.; while he had but barren honor from the gin, one of the most important of the whole series of inventions connected with the cotton manu facture. He died at New Haven, Jan. 8, 1825. See CorroN.