John Fitch

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Thompson Westcott. Life of John Fitch, the Inventor of the Steam-Boat. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1857.

John Fitch (1743-1798): Steamboat Transportation

Although much of the credit for the commercialization of steamboat transportation is attributed to Robert Fulton, it is John Fitch who should be known as its pioneer. Shortly after the Revolutionary War, Fitch received exclusive rights from Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and New York to build and operate steamboats on their waters. Within a few weeks of establishing reliable service, John Fitch was able to defend his claims of invention and secure patents for steamboats in the United States and France on 1791.