Benjamin B. Hotchkiss

Benjamin Berkeley Hotchkiss
Born	Template:Birth date Watertown, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	February 14, 1885(1885-02-14) (aged 58)
Occupation(s)	Engineer, inventor
Known for	Ordnance technology, Hotchkiss et Cie

Benjamin Berkeley Hotchkiss (October 1, 1826 – February 14, 1885) was a prominent American engineer specializing in ordnance technology.

American career

Originally from Watertown, Connecticut, Hotchkiss spent his early years in Sharon, Connecticut, where he began conducting experiments within his father’s hardware workshop. During the 1850s, he was employed as a firearms manufacturer in Hartford, Connecticut, playing a role in the production of revolvers for Colt as well as Winchester rifles.

He secured patents for rifled artillery shells that saw extensive use throughout the American Civil War.

French career

Following the Civil War, faced with scarce military contracts in the United States, Hotchkiss moved to France in 1867 and founded a munitions enterprise—Hotchkiss et Cie—initially located in Viviez and later relocated near Paris in Saint-Denis. There, he engineered a revolving barrel machine gun, often referred to as the "canon-revolver," manufactured in calibers ranging from 37 mm to 57 mm for naval and other applications. After his passing, Hotchkiss et Cie developed an air-cooled, gas-operated infantry machine gun beginning in 1897, which became widely utilized by both French and American forces during the First World War.

Personal life

On May 27, 1850, Hotchkiss married Maria Bissell Hotchkiss. Following his death, she established The Hotchkiss School located in Lakeville, Connecticut as well as the Hotchkiss Library in Sharon. Additionally, in 1867, Hotchkiss entered into a civil marriage with a Miss Cunningham in France.

External links

• Patent documentation for Hotchkiss's rifled ordnance projectiles
• Concise biography of Benjamin Hotchkiss