11 Facts About Seth Boyden

Seth Boyden is credited with having invented a cut off switch for steam engines and a method for producing zinc from ore.

Seth Boyden is a direct descendant of James Atherton, who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in the 1630s.

Seth Boyden worked as a watchmaker and moved to Newark, New Jersey.

In 1818, Seth Boyden received a piece of German manufactured high-gloss leather from a local carriage manufacturer and used that to investigate the possibility of creating a version of leather in the United States that was treated in such a way that the material would be decidedly more dressy than work boots and similar leather goods, but retained its desirable qualities of protection and durability.

Seth Boyden's efforts resulted in the production of glossy leather that quickly caught on as a complement for formal dress.

Seth Boyden began his work with malleable iron in 1820, when he was 32 years old.

Several sources state that Seth Boyden "made the first American daguerreotype" and this statement appears on a plaque at the base of a Seth Boyden statue in Newark's Washington Park.

Seth Boyden rarely patented his inventions, preferring instead to take individual contracts and to build and sell off businesses.

Seth Boyden did make large sums from this, but not enough to support his research and to provide for his old age.

Seth Boyden's name is found on an elementary school in Maplewood, New Jersey, and a complex of public housing projects in Newark, New Jersey.

Additionally, a statue of Seth Boyden stands in Newark's Washington Park.