born June 9, 1768, Belper, Derbyshire, Eng.
died April 21, 1835, Webster, Mass., U.S.
British-born U.S. industrialist.
Initially apprenticed to a partner of Richard Arkwright , he immigrated to the U.S. in 1789, where he reproduced versions of Arkwright's spinning and carding machine s from memory and in 1793 established the first successful American cotton mill at Pawtucket, R.I., the first of several plants. He founded the town of Slatersville, R.I. He is regarded as the founder of the U.S. cotton textile industry.