He was born on March 6, 1824 in Mantua, Ohio, United States, where his parents had gone from Massachusetts upon their marriage. His parents were Joseph and Susan (Eggleston) Skinner. When he was eight years old his parents removed to Stockbridge, Massachussets.
Education
At Stockbridge, Massachussets he received a common school education.
Career
While studying he worked on neighboring farms and in his father's shop. After his parents removed to West Farms, New York, in 1838, he helped his father in the making of violins and guitars for seven years.
He engaged in general carpentry work for himself until 1849, when he was hired by Alexander Smith, a carpet manufacturer in West Farms, to design and construct a hand loom that would weave figured carpet instead of the striped sort prevailing at the time. The machine, which was completed in a year, was so successful that by 1851 Smith had one hundred looms at work to supply the demand for the new "tapestry ingrain" carpet.
In 1856 he devised a power loom to weave Axminster or tufted carpets, but it was not until 1860 that a satisfactory machine was put into operation. He then turned his attention to inventing and patenting a power loom for weaving ingrain carpets and developed a very successful machine, first installed in 1864 in Smith's new manufactory at Yonkers, New York, and used until ingrain carpet weaving was discontinued.
Around 1870 Smith began the manufacture of tapestry carpet, using looms imported from England; these, however, were not satisfactory until after Skinner had completely altered them and had doubled their output. His power loom for weaving moquette carpets was first conceived in 1876 and patented on January 16, 1877.
In the course of five or six years, Skinner and his two sons secured a series of patents. In 1889 he severed his connections with the Smith company and lived more or less in retirement in Yonkers. He perfected some further improvements of the moquette loom, however, and occasionally served his former employer in an advisory capacity.
His death occurred when he was struck by a train.
Achievements
Connections
He was twice married; his first wife, Eliza Pierce, died in 1869, and subsequently he married Adelaide Cropsey of Brooklyn, New York. He was survived by his widow, and two sons and three daughters, all by his first marriage.