Josiah Hornblower (February 23, 1729 – January 21, 1809) was an English engineer and statesman in Belleville, New Jersey. He was a delegate for New Jersey in the Continental Congress in 1785 and 1786.
Early life
Josiah was born in Staffordshire, England, the son of steam power pioneer Joseph Hornblower. As a young man, he studied mechanics and mathematics.
Career
Early career
In 1745, he started working for his elder brother Jonathan as an engineering apprentice. They went to Cornwall, England and built Newcomen steam engines for use in tin mines. Josiah became an expert in both the engines and mining operations. There is some dispute about the validity of the project, since he apparently (and illegally) brought two or three sets of critical engine parts with him from England.
He continued to practice mechanical and civil engineering for much of his life. In 1794, he built the first stamping mill in America. (A stamping mill mechanically crushes raw ore for further processing.)
Over the years, Hornblower became American in his attitude as well as by residence. In the French and Indian War, he was a captain in the Essex County Regiment of the New Jersey militia. However, his company was assigned for defence and he didn’t see action. In 1760, he opened a hardware store as an adjunct to his engineering work, and became a prosperous merchant.
Political career
For several years, Josiah had acted as a leading citizen. He served as clerk in various town meetings and for his county. As New Jersey established a revolutionary government, Essex County sent him to the state’s Assembly from 1779–1780, and in 1780, the Assembly named him its speaker.
Personal life
In 1755, Josiah married Elizabeth Kingsland, the daughter of William Kingsland, a Colonel and Judge of Bergen County and neighbor of Schuyler, and Mary (née Pinhorne) Kingsland, daughter of Judge William Pinhorne – a Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. One of their twelve children was Joseph Coerten Hornblower, who later became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey.