Herreshoff, John Brown

John Brown Herreshoff (hĕr´əs-hŏf), 1841–1915, American yacht and ship builder. Though totally blind from the time he was 15, he managed his own sail-boat building company until his brother, Nathaniel Green Herreshoff, 1848–1938, became his partner in 1878. Together they produced steam yachts and torpedo boats, but in 1891 they resumed the construction of sailing yachts, introducing new and radical features of design. The Gloriana won them a reputation, and they subsequently produced five successful defenders of the America's Cup—the Vigilant (1893), the Defender (1895), the Columbia (1899), the Reliance (1903), and the Resolute (built 1914; raced 1920).

See C. B. Burnett, Let the Best Boat Win: The Story of America's Greatest Yacht Designer (1957).

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Publication information: Article title: Herreshoff, John Brown. Encyclopedia title: The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. © 2012 The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. Used with the permission of Columbia University Press. All Rights Reserved. Publisher: The Columbia University Press. Place of publication: Not available. Publication year: 2013.

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