Oliver Edwards

Oliver Edwards was a machine company executive, an inventor, and a volunteer officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Edwards was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1835, son of Dr. Elisha Edwards and Eunice Lombard Edwards. From an early age, he had a strong interest in mechanics and, rather than attend college, he obtained an apprenticeship at the Springfield Armory. In 1856, at age 21, Edwards moved to the American Midwest to establish his own foundry, eventually settling in Warsaw, Illinois. Here he became a partner in a new foundry known as Neberling, Edwards and Co.

Source: Wikipedia