Count Rumford
Born 1753 · Age 272
American-born British military officer, scientist and inventor (Count Rumford). Known for experimental work on heat, inventions in heating/lighting and public-institution reforms; reorganized Bavarian army and founded the Royal Institution.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Woburn, Massachusetts
Benjamin Thompson born in rural Woburn, Province of Massachusetts Bay.
Apprenticed to John Appleton (merchant)
At about age 13 Thompson was apprenticed to John Appleton in Salem; he began associating with well-educated people and developed scientific interests.
Conducted first experiments on heat
While recuperating in Woburn he performed early experiments on the nature of heat and began corresponding with peers about them.
Married Sarah Rolfe (widow/heiress)
Met and married Sarah Rolfe (née Walker), a wealthy widow; marriage changed his social standing and prospects.
Appointed Major in New Hampshire Militia
Through his wife's influence with the governor he was appointed a major in the New Hampshire militia after moving to Portsmouth.
Birth of daughter Sarah Thompson
Benjamin and Sarah had a daughter (also named Sarah) born in 1774.
Became Loyalist; house attacked and burned
At the outbreak of the American Revolution Thompson supported the Loyalist cause; Patriots stripped him of command and a mob attacked and burned his house, prompting his flight to British lines.
Published gunpowder experiments (Philosophical Transactions)
Published 'New Experiments upon Gun-Powder' in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (1781), gaining scientific recognition.
Financed King's American Dragoons
Financed his own Loyalist military unit, the King's American Dragoons; unit primarily served on Long Island in 1782–1783 and constructed Fort Golgotha in Huntington.
Fort Golgotha construction controversy
Thompson's unit involved in demolishing a church and burial ground to erect Fort Golgotha in Huntington — local notoriety for the action.
Moved to London after the war
Arrived in London at the end of the American War of Independence with a growing reputation as a scientist and administrator.
Knighted by George III
Recognized for administrative talents in London and received a knighthood from King George III.
Introduced social and agricultural reforms in Bavaria
Established workhouses for the poor, promoted Rumford's Soup, and introduced cultivation of the potato to Bavaria as part of social reform efforts.
Moved to Bavaria; became aide-de-camp to Prince-elector Charles Theodore
Entered service of the Bavarian government; began reorganizing the Bavarian army and establishing social reforms such as workhouses.
Published 'New experiments upon heat'
Published experiments on heat (1796 papers exist too; 1786 experiments cited) contributing to thermodynamics history.
Elected Foreign Honorary Member of AAAS
Elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Created the Englischer Garten in Munich
Laid out the Englischer Garten for Prince Charles; park remains one of the world's largest urban public parks.
Made Imperial Count (Reichsgraf von Rumford)
Rewarded by Bavaria and made an Imperial Count in 1791; took the name 'Rumford' from Rumford, New Hampshire (old name for Concord).
Advocated heat as motion (challenged caloric theory)
Through experiments (notably cannon-boring experiment) he argued heat was a form of motion; work later influenced conservation of energy debates.
Awarded the Copley Medal
Recipient of the Royal Society's prestigious Copley Medal (listed among Copley medallists for 1792).
Published 'An Essay on Chimney Fire-Places'
Published essay proposing improvements to fireplaces to save fuel and reduce smoke; led to the 'Rumford fireplace' design.
Published on propagation of heat in fluids
Published work (1797) extending investigations of heat propagation in fluids; provoked debates with contemporaries.
Published 'An Inquiry Concerning the Source of the Heat Which Is Excited by Friction'
Argued friction-generated heat was not caloric but motion — influential in the development of conservation of energy.
Co-founded the Royal Institution of Great Britain
With Sir Joseph Banks established the Royal Institution; Sir Humphry Davy chosen as first lecturer; institution later associated with Faraday.
Selected Humphry Davy as first Royal Institution lecturer
In founding the Royal Institution Thompson and Banks chose Sir Humphry Davy as the first lecturer; this helped establish the Institution's prestige.
Work on calorific and frigorific radiation experiments
Published experiments and theories on calorific and frigorific radiation and the exchange of 'hot' and 'cold' rays between bodies.
Elected to Royal Swedish Academy and American Philosophical Society
Elected foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and elected as member of the American Philosophical Society.
Published essays on cooking and kitchen design
Authored essays (e.g., 'On the construction of kitchen fire-places and kitchen utensils') applying scientific principles to improve cooking and institutional kitchens.
Married Marie-Anne Lavoisier
Married Marie-Anne Lavoisier, widow of chemist Antoine Lavoisier; the marriage lasted about three years before separation.
Separated from Marie-Anne Lavoisier
Separated from his second wife after roughly three years of marriage; thereafter settled in Paris to continue scientific work.
Introduced the Rumford fireplace design
Promoted a redesigned, more efficient fireplace with angled side walls and a chimney 'choke' to increase draft and reduce smoke in rooms.
Inventions: double boiler and cooking/lighting improvements (period)
During the 1810–1814 period he developed or popularized inventions including the double boiler, improved kitchen ranges and coffee percolator designs.
Endowed Rumford medals and Rumford Chair (bequests)
Left endowments that established the Rumford medals (Royal Society and AAAS) and the Rumford Chair of Physics at Harvard (bequests arranged around his estate/death).
Died in Paris; buried at Auteuil
Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford) died 21 August 1814 in Paris and was buried in the cemetery of Auteuil; his daughter inherited the title.
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