Francis Barber Ogden was born on March 3, 1783, at Boonton, New Jersey, son of Gen. Matthias and Hannah (Dayton) Ogden, and a descendant of John Ogden who emigrated from Hampshire, England, to Long Island about 1640 and in 1664 settled in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. Matthias was a man of marked intelligence and natural ability and had gained his title of General through his distinguished services in the Revolution.
Young Ogden obtained his primary education and grew to manhood in Boonton.
Francis had shown from early youth a keen interest in mechanics and as he matured this interest was confined more and more to studies and experiments with the steam engine as a propelling power for boats. His uncle, too, Aaron Ogden, governor of New Jersey, had established a stagecoach line from Bristol, to Elizabeth, New Jersey, and in 1811 had constructed the steamboat Sea Horse to carry his stage passengers from Elizabeth to New York. There seems little doubt, in view of his interest, that Francis had much to do with this steamboat, both in its construction and operation.
In 1812 Ogden entered the army and remained in the service until after the battle of New Orleans (1815), in which he saw action as aide-de-camp under Gen. Andrew Jackson. Following the war, he went to England, presumably to be near the great master James Watt. In Leeds he designed and built for steamboat service a low-pressure condensing engine with two cylinders in which the steam worked expansively and the cranks were adjusted at right angles.
In 1830 Ogden was appointed United States consul at Liverpool, by President Jackson, and continued in the consular service until his death twenty-eight years later. During this time he remained keenly interested in steam navigation and sometime in the 1830's he formed the acquaintance of John Ericsson, who had just devised his screw propeller. Ogden at once saw the probable value of this invention and confident of its success, placed money at the disposal of Ericsson for the building of an experimental boat, which, on its completion, the latter named the Francis B. Ogden. In addition, Ogden succeeded in bringing Ericsson's invention to the attention of the British Admiralty and in staging a demonstration of its capabilities, with the aid of the new craft. Little interest was manifested, but later Ogden brought about the meeting of Ericsson and Capt. Robert F. Stockton, as a result of which Ericsson built the screw-propelled tug-boat Robert F. Stockton, demonstrated it to officials of the United States Navy, and a few years later, designed and superintended the construction of the U. S. S. Princeton, the first screw-propelled steam war vessel ever built. Meanwhile, in 1840, Ogden was made consul at Bristol, England, by President Van Buren. He remained at this post to the day of his death and was buried there.
Francis Ogden was United States consul at Liverpool (1829-1840) and then at Bristol, England. Ogden helped finance John Ericsson's researches of screw-propelled steamboats, while personally patenting Ericsson's inventions in the United States. Ericsson named his first screw-propelled steamboat Francis B. Ogden. Later Ericsson managed to build the first screw-propelled steam war vessel ever built.
Ogden was a member of the Society of Cincinnati.
In 1837, Francis Ogden married Louisa Pownall of Liverpool.
