David Wilkinson

David Wilkinson (born Jan. 5, 1771, Smithfield, R.I., U.S.—died Feb. 3, 1852, Caledonia Springs, Ont., Can.) was an American inventor.

Wilkinson was the son of a blacksmith, and in 1797 he invented a gauge and sliding lathe for turning iron and brass, which proved valuable to the U.S. government in constructing machines for its armouries. He produced much of the manufacturing machinery used by Samuel Slater and apparently built the first American steamboat 16 years before Robert Fulton.