Wesson, Daniel Baird

Wesson, Daniel Baird

(1825–1906) gunsmith; born in Worcester, Mass. After serving an apprenticeship with his brother, he engaged in the making of firearms. His long association with Horace Smith (1853–55, 1857–73) was profitable for both men; they patented a new type of repeating pistol (1854) and the Smith and Wesson revolver (1857). After Smith's retirement (1873), Wesson worked alone (1873–83) and then brought two of his sons into the business. Wesson's most notable achievement was his development of the first metal cartridge used in ordnance—making breech-loading rifles possible.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.