Thomas Robins (inventor)

Thomas Robins Jr. (September 1, 1868 – November 4, 1957) was an American inventor and manufacturer.[1]

Thomas Robins Jr.
Robins in 1915
Born	September 1, 1868 West Point, New York, U.S.
Died	November 4, 1957 (aged 89) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Education	Princeton University
Known for	Conveyor belt
Spouse(s)	Winifred Hamilton Tucker
Parent(s)	Thomas Robins, Sr.

Biography

He was born on September 1, 1868, in West Point, New York to Thomas Robins Sr. He attended Princeton University.[2]

Career

In 1891, Robins began work on a conveyor belt for carrying coal and ore for Thomas Edison and his Edison Ore-Milling Company in Ogdensburg, New Jersey.[3] His conveyor belt received the grand prize at the Paris Exposition in 1900, and first prizes at the Pan-American Exposition and Saint Louis Exposition.[2]

Based on his invention, Robins started the Robins Conveying Belt Company and of the Robins New Conveyor Company (now ThyssenKrupp Robins).[3] In 1915 he was appointed to the Naval Consulting Board.[2]

Personal life

On April 26, 1894, Robins married Winifred Hamilton Tucker (1868–1952)[4] in Boston, Massachusetts. They lived together at 40 East 66th Street in New York City and had a home in Stamford, Connecticut, called Saddle Rock House designed by prominent New York City architects, Hunt and Hunt.[5] Together with his wife, he had:

• Thomas Robins III "Jr" (1897–1977),[6] who in 1939 married Louisa Winslow Cogswell (1899–1962), an artist.[7] She was the daughter of Cullen Van Rensselaer Cogswell and Agnes Eugenia Nickerson. Her paternal grandparents were Andrew Kirkpatrick Cogswell (1839–1900) and Mary Van Rensselaer Cogswell (1839–1871). After her death, he married Eileen Burden Maynard (1910–1970), daughter of Cynthia Roche (1884–1966) and the granddaughter of James Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy (1852–1920) and Frances Ellen Work (1857–1947)[6]
  • Louisa Robins (1920–1992), who married Austin Goodyear (1920–2005) in 1939.[8] After their divorce, Goodyear married Sara Suleri[9]
    • Grace Rumsey Goodyear (b. 1941), who in 1962 married Franklin Delano Roosevelt III (b. 1938), grandson of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt[10][11]
      • Phoebe Louisa Roosevelt (b. 1965)
      • Nicholas Martin Roosevelt (b. 1966)
      • Amelia "Amie" Roosevelt (b. 1966)
    • Cullen Goodyear, a noted triathlon athlete[12]
    • Thomas R. Goodyear, who was married to Barbara Marshall (1946–2007)[13]
  • Mary Van Rensselaer Robins (1919–2006), who married Dr. Stephen Goodyear (1915–1998),[14] They divorced in 1963[15] and in 1964, Mary married Julian McKee (1918–2006)[6][16]
  • Anne Davis Robins, who married Evan W. Thomas II[7][17][18] in 1943,[19] son of Norman Thomas and Frances Violet Stewart.
    • Evan Welling Thomas III (b. 1951)
• Samuel Davis Robins, who married Emma Lawrence Jacob[20] in 1925. She was the daughter of Bartholomew Jacob. One of Robin's groomsmen was Frederic W. Lincoln Jr.[21] Jacob later married Joseph R. Busk[22] in 1937[23]
  • Samuel Davis Robins, Jr. (1926–2010)[20] who was married to Winifred Anne Willis[24] in 1950[25] and Ruth R. McCollester,[22] in 1979; both of whom he divorced. His companion at the time of his death was Mary Hooker Judson[20]
    • Samuel Davis Robins III[22]
    • Leah Anne Robins[22] (b. 1956)[24]
    • Abigail Cope Robins[22]

He died on November 4, 1957, at the Nestledown Convalescent Home in Stamford, Connecticut, aged 89.[1]

References

1. "Thomas Robins, Inventor, 89, Dies. Developer of Heavy-Duty Conveyor Belt Had Headed Hewitt-Robins Company". New York Times. November 5, 1957. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
2. "Thomas Robins". Encyclopedia Americana. 1920. Retrieved 2013-12-17.
3. "Robins History". ThyssenKrupp. Archived from the original on 2010-03-14. Retrieved 2013-12-17.
4. "Mrs Thomas Robins". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. September 16, 1952. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
5. Stamford Historical Society
6. "Thomas Robins Jr., Company Chairman – Headed Hewitt-Robins, Producers of Synthetic Rubber". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. May 29, 1977. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
7. "Mrs. Thomas Robins Jr". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. July 13, 1962. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
8. "Marriage Announcement". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. December 20, 1939. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
9. "Austin Goodyear". The New York Times. August 21, 2005. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
10. "Grace Goodyear, Student at Smith, Will Be Married; Sophomore and Ensign Franklin D. Roosevelt 3d Engaged to Wed". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. April 12, 1962. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
11. "Miss Grace R. Goodyear Is Married; Becomes Bride of Ensign Franklin D. Roosevelt 3d". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. June 19, 1962. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
12. "Kona 2015: A chat with Cullen Goodyear - Triathlon Magazine Canada". Triathlon Magazine Canada. October 13, 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
13. "Barbara Marshall Goodyear". The Bangor Daily News. September 25, 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
14. "Stephen Goodyear". findagrave.com. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
15. Times, Special To The New York (14 June 1964). "Mrs. Goodyear Wed To Julien D. McKee". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
16. "Obituaries and death notices, Nov. 8, 2006 Laurette Forest, Julian D. McKee, Stetson services". SentinelSource.com. The Keene Sentinel. November 8, 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
17. "Evan Thomas II". SFGate. SFGate. March 6, 1999. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
18. "Paid Notice: Deaths – Thomas, Evans Welling II". The New York Times. 1 March 1999. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
19. "Paid Notice: Deaths – Thomas, Anne Davis Robins". The New York Times. 28 March 2004. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
20. "Samuel Davis Robins Jr". Greenwich Time. October 10, 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
21. "Emma Jacob Weds Samuel D. Robins – Bride's Twin Brothers Give Her in Marriage in Church of the Resurrection – Miss Cory a Paris Bride – Rochester Girl Married to Philip Chew of New York – Miss Oliver Weds R.H. Fischer". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. May 3, 1925. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
22. "Samuel Robins Jr. Weds Ruth McCollester". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. December 30, 1979. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
23. "Busk--Robins". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. July 30, 1937. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
24. "Child to Mrs. S.D. Robins Jr". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. January 24, 1956. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
25. "Nuptials Are Held for Miss W. Willis – She Wears White Embroidered Organdy at Her Wedding to Samuel Davis Robins Jr". timesmachine.nytimes.com. The New York Times. June 25, 1950. Retrieved 14 April 2016.