William Strutt

William Strutt, FRS (1756–1830) was a cotton spinner in Belper, Derbyshire, England, and later a civil engineer and architect, using iron frames in buildings to make them fire-resistant. Early career Strutt was the first son of Jedediah Strutt and, after a good education, joined his father's business at the age of fourteen. He also inherited his father's mechanical abilities and is said to have thought of the self-acting mule some years before Richard Roberts patented it in 1830, but the technology was not available to make it work. Be that as it may, he looked after the technical side of the business, while his brothers, Joseph and George Benson dealt with commercial and management side respectively. It became known as W.G. and J. Strutt. In 1801 he bought St Helen's House in King Street, Derby and used it as his family home until his death. He became a successful architect, designing many of the bridges in Derby and the original Derbyshire General Infirmary in 1810. In 1779 he was made a freeman of Derby and Burgess of the Borough, allowing him to vote in Parliament. He was co-founder of the Derby Philosophical Society with Thomas Gisborne, Richard French, Erasmus Darwin and other individuals, and was President for twenty-eight years.