Baldwin, Matthias

Baldwin, Matthias (William)

(1795–1866) locomotive engineer; born in Elizabethtown, N.J. A toolmaker and jeweler, he began manufacturing hydraulic and bookbinding machinery about 1825. In 1832 he built the locomotive Old Ironsides. He developed tight-fitting steam joints, which allowed high pressures. Baldwin's locomotive works eventually produced over 1,000 locomotives.