Henry Howard Sessions

Background

He was born on June 21, 1847 in Madrid, St. Lawrence County, New York, United States, the son of Milton and Rosanna (Beals) Sessions. He was of English ancestry, a descendant of John Sessions, who emigrated to Connecticut in 1768.

Education

Henry attended school in his native town until he was fifteen years old.

Career

After studies he began an apprenticeship in the railroad car and machine shop of the Central Vermont Railroad at Northfield, Vermont, of which shop his father was master car builder. Upon completing his apprenticeship he continued as a journeyman car builder under his father until 1870, when he became master car builder of the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburgh Railroad at Rome, New York. After serving in this capacity for eight years, in the hope of bettering himself he went West and at Sioux City, Iowa, became master car builder for the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad.

Early in 1880 he was made master car builder of the International and Great Northern Railroad at St. Paul, Minnesota, but the following year he went to Texas and during the years 1881-85 held similar positions with the Texas & Pacific Railroad and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern railroads, respectively.

Because of his long and varied experience in car construction, in 1885 he was appointed superintendent of the Pullman Company, Pullman, Illinois. Two years later he devised several improvements on the railroad car which brought him world-wide recognition. The original patent for his first invention was granted November 15, 1887 (No. 373, 098). The following year he improved the "vestibule, " as it came to be called, by devising spring equalizers to permit cars to take curves readily (patented May 15, 1888), and on May 14, 1889, he had the third patent.

He also designed the standard steel platform for passenger cars. This last contrivance led to his becoming associated with the Standard Coupler Company of New York in 1896 as vice-president and director. In this capacity he continued his work of inventing improvements for railway rolling stock, in the course of which he continued to work on the improvements and assigned to the Standard Coupler Company. During this work Sessions maintained his residence in Chicago, where he died.

Achievements

• Being the superintendent of the Pullman Company Henry Sessions improved the bellows projection on the ends of passenger cars which permitted close connection of the cars in a train and provided safe passage from one to another. He also improved the "vestibule" by devising spring equalizers to permit cars to take curves readily, patented the design and manufacture of the fabric bellows coupling that came into common use. His other inventions - a railroad car brake and a car heater. Later, working in Standard Coupler Company of New York, he perfected a street railway air brake, a metallic buffer beam, the friction draft rigging, and the radial buffing and draft rigging for railway cars.

Connections

In 1872 he married Nellie L. Maxham of Rome, New York.

Father:

Milton Sessions

Mother:

Rosanna (Beals) Sessions

Spouse:

Nellie L. Maxham