North, Simeon

North, Simeon

(born July 13, 1765, Berlin, Conn., U.S.—died Aug. 25, 1852, Middletown, Conn.) U.S. firearms manufacturer. He supplied pistols and rifles to the U.S. government from 1799. He developed the use of interchangeable parts in manufacturing (see armoury practice; mass production) and the first-known milling machine. In 1825 he built a breech-loading rifle with fully interchangeable parts.

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North, Simeon (1765–1852) engineer, manufacturer; born in Berlin, Conn. Between 1799–1813 he pioneered the manufacture of pistols with interchangeable parts, mostly under government contract. From 1828 to his death, he produced rifles.