Historedia
Person

John Fitch

Events
2
Episodes
4
Years
1787–1797

Every event in Historedia whose sources name John Fitch, with the role they cite and all of that event’s episodes. This is not a biography, and mentions are grouped by name, so two people with the same name can share this page.

Events and episodes

  1. John Fitch steamboat demonstration on the Delaware River

    1787

    Role: Inventor and operator of the steamboat

    1. August 1787 (passages give August 22; legacy row says August 27) · Delaware River, Pennsylvania/New JerseySteamboat trial on the Delaware River

      John Fitch tested his 45-foot steam-powered craft on the Delaware River in August 1787, before Constitutional Convention delegates.

  2. Patent for the Steamboat Granted to John Fitch

    1790–1797

    Role: Patent recipient; American inventor and steamboat designer

    1. 1790 – August 26, 1791 · United States patent law and commission proceedingsRivalry with James Rumsey and the Patent Act

      Fitch's legal dispute with James Rumsey over steamboat monopoly rights helped prompt the first Patent Act of 1790, creating the commission that judged his claim.

    2. 1791 – 1797 · France and subsequent American attemptsFrench Patent and Later Efforts

      Fitch received a French patent in 1791, left for France in 1793 with investor Aaron Vail's promised help, and returned in 1794 to make further steamboat attempts.

    3. August 26, 1791 · United States patent grant to John Fitch; issuing office not named in sourcesU.S. Patent Granted to John Fitch

      Fitch secured a U.S. patent for his steamboat on August 26, 1791, after a contest with James Rumsey over steam-powered boat invention.

Sources

  1. John Fitch (inventor) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-15