caption death_date death_place birth_place nationality birth_date signature image article_title name occupation
joseph francis 10 may 1893 otsego lake , new york boston , massachusetts american 12 march 1801 josephfrancis.svg joseph francis.jpg joseph francis
 joseph francis inventor
joseph francis

joseph francis -lrb- march 12 , 1801 -- may 10 , 1893 -rrb- was a 19th-century american inventor who devoted his life to improving maritime equipment , especially life-saving tools .
his most famous invention , the metallic life-car , rescued thousands of stranded passengers and crew from shipwrecks near the shore .
francis was born in boston , massachusetts , and started building boats early in life .
he won his first prize in a public competition at age eighteen .
as an adult , he worked for the u.s. government , building life boats for war ships .
he was the first person to use iron in the construction of life boats .
the government declined to fund his metal boats , so he began his own business on the jersey shore , near long branch .
his boats , rafts , life-car , and other watercraft became popular in europe before eventually being adopted in the united states as well .
francis died at age 92 while summering at otsego lake in new york .
the first life-car ever used , which rescued 200 of 201 people from the scottish brig `` ayrshire '' wreck in 1850 , is on display at the smithsonian national museum of american history .
also on display are some of francis ' numerous awards that he received in gratitude for his inventions .
these include the congressional gold medal , which was designed by the famous american sculptor augustus saint-gaudens and was given to him by president benjamin harrison on august 27 , 1888 , as well as a diamond-encrusted snuff box from emperor napoleon iii of france .
although francis was considered one of the most well-known heroes of the 19th century , his popularity waned with the decrease in maritime accidents and he is virtually unknown today .
