INVENTOR of the MONTH

Lewis Temple: The Temple Toggle Iron

Lewis Temple was born a slave in Richmond, Virginia, around 1800. He moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, after obtaining his freedom. During the 1800s, New Bedford was the capital of the American whaling industry. Whale meat, oil, and whalebone were important products to the country’s economy. Lewis Temple, a blacksmith, revolutionized the whaling industry by inventing a new type of harpoon.

Temple’s harpoon was unique because the barbed head pivoted after entering the whale, thus preventing the whale from slipping loose. He called his invention the Temple Toggle Iron.

It proved to be more effective than any other harpoon and he made a good living from the sale of the harpoon, but he could have made a fortune if he had patented it. Clifford Ashley, an authority on the history of whaling, wrote in 1926, “It is safe to say that the ‘Temple Toggle’ was the most important single invention in the whole history of whaling. It resulted in the capture of a far greater proportion of the whales that were struck than had before been possible.”

In 1854 Temple suffered an accidental fall. His injuries were so severe that he was unable to return to work. In May 1854, at the age of 54, Temple died from his injuries.

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