Leopold Katzenstein (July 23, 1843) Rhina (today Haunetal), former Kreis Hünfeld, Hessen, Germany – December 4, 1915 New York City) was a successful Naval Architect and Marine engineer.
Katzenstein may have been raised in an orphanage after his father Abraham died. This may have been the Kassel Jüdisches Waisenhaus. He immigrated to the United States between 1868–1869 and founded L Katzenstein & Sons at 358 West Street in New York City[1]. His company were general machinists and sold engineer’s supplies including flexible tubular metallic packing for slipjoints and on steam pipes and highest grade anti-friction metal for bearings. He was also a successful inventor who held a number of patents; amongst others these included: -
- Improvement In Packing, US Pat. No. 105,462[2] dated 19 Jul 1870.
- Metallic Packing For Piston-Rods &c., US Pat. No. 228,200[3] dated 1 Jun 1880.
- Metallic Rod-Packing, US Pat. No. 267,750[4] dated 21 Nov 1882.
- Rod-Packing, US Pat. No. 301,998[5] dated 15 Jul 1884.
- Water-Tight Bulkhead-Door, US Pat. No. 432,070[6] dated 15 Jul 1890.
- Stuffing-Box, US Pat. No. 538,681[7] dated 7 May 1895.
- Water-Tight Bulkhead-Door, US Pat. No. 539,953[8] dated 28 May 1895.
Katzenstein married Sarah Hecht whose uncle Samuel Hecht, Jr founded Hecht's in Baltimore. Katzenstein was one of the founders of Temple Israel[9], which was first located at 210 West 91st Street on Manhattan's West Side and is currently located on 75th Street between Lexington and Park Avenues.
His obituary[10] in the New York Times 4 December 1915 read:
Leopold Katzenstein, head of the firm of Leopold Katzenstein & Co., 358 West Street, and for the last forty-five years an inventor and manufacturer of attachments for steam engines, died yesterday at his home, 72 West Ninety-first Street. in his seventy-sixth year. He was born in Germany and received his education in the universities of his native country. Mr. Katzenstein came here forty-five years ago, and immediately commenced working on improvements for handling steam. Many of his inventions are used by ocean steamers all over the world.
Mr Katzenstein was a member of the Society of Naval Architects, the Society of Marine Engineers, the Railroad Club, the Society of Naval Engineers of Washington, D. C.; the Technischer Verein of Germany, and a number of charitable organizations. His wife, three sons, and a daughter survive him.
He also had a professional obituary in the Transactions - The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers[11]