Ransom Cook

Who is Ransom Cook?

Ransom Cook was an inventor who lived much of his life in Saratoga Springs, New York.

One of nine children of furniture maker Joseph Cook and Mary Ann Tolman, he was born in Wallingford, Connecticut in 1794. His family moved to the village of East Line around 1802, where his father opened a furniture shop.

In 1813, Cook set up a shop of his own in Saratoga Springs. Five years later he married Rachael Ayers, whom he remained with for the rest of his life. Soon after his marriage, Cook built a new furniture shop on Congress Street and enjoyed a successful business.

In 1836 Thomas Davenport of Vermont joined with Cook, and the two developed a new electro-magnetic motor that was many years ahead of its time. In 1837 the pair received the first US patent for en electric motor.

In 1842, the New York State government solicited Cook to build a new type of prison that utilized prisoners for labor. Cook recommended that a new prison be located at Dannemora, Clinton County, New York near an iron mine. Cook supervised the entire construction, and created prisoner rules which were considered highly humane and liberal, as opposed to the harsh conditions found in most other prisons.