John Hays Hammond, Jr.
(1888-1965)
John Hays Hammond, Jr. was born in 1888 in San Francisco, California.  In 1893 he moved with his family to South Africa, where his father was active as an engineer in the diamond mines.  In 1898 the family moved to England, where young Hammond fell in love with castles and life in earlier times.  The family returned to the United States at the turn of the century.
While living in Washington, D.C., young Jack Hammond met American inventor, Thomas Edison, who is turn introduced him to Alexander Graham Bell.  Under Bell's guidance, Hammond worked for three years as a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office.

Right:  John Jr. and John Sr.
Hammond attended Lawrenceville School, started inventing, and went on to study at the Sheffield School of Yale University, graduating in 1910.  That year John Hammond began work on the radio control of boats.  He established the Hammond Radio Research Corporation in 1911 and conducted experiments with radio guidance at Gloucester harbor that same year.  In 1914 he sent his 44 foot pilot-less ship on a 120 mile round trip with no one on board, which immediately got the interest of the United States military.  He developed a radio controlled torpedo system for the navy, which was demonstrated successfully in 1918.
In 1926 he started the construction of his medieval castle home in Gloucester, MA, as a bridal present for his wife, Irene.  They moved into the castle in 1929 and opened it as a  museum in 1930.  During this period Hammond worked with assistants on his many inventions in his new castle laboratory, including the synchronization of motion pictures, radio dynamic controls, television communications, the dynamic amplifier (today's stereo), and a cosmic ray detector.  Hammond is credited with over 800 inventions and 437 patents.
In 1959 John Hays Hammond, Jr. received the Elliot Cresson Medal from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia for his contributions to American inventions.  This was followed by the Medal of Honor from the Institute of Radio Engineers in 1962 and 1963.
John Hays Hammond, Jr. died on February 12, 1965.  He is buried at his castle home in Gloucester.

Right:  John Hays Hammond, Jr. and his wife, Irene Fenton, on the castle grounds during construction.
John Hays Hammond, Jr. (Passport photo 1918 ) Mrs. John Hays Hammond, Jr. - Irene Felton

A Sampling of Inventions Patented by John Hays Hammond, Jr.
Date
10/21/19
6/20/22
5/19/31
12/14/36
11/6/28
3/18/29
12/29/31
7/11/44
3/10/39
6/6/22
11/10/36
11/21/22
7/30/29
7/23/35
1/10/33
7/30/29
5/9/39
 Patent Number
1,275,741
1,420,258
1,806,346
1,610,371
1,500,243
1,717,662
1,838,762
2,343,499
2,174,785
1,418,851
2,060,208
1,436,248
1,722,645
2,008,701
1,983,940
1,722,977
TM367,039
 Title
System of Teledynamic Control
System for Radio Control of Moving Bodies
Paravane Torpedo
Gaseous Detector of Radiant Energy
Submarine sound transmission
Multi-channel radio system
Secret Radio Communication
Radio Alarm System
Altitude Determining system for Airplanes
Predirecting Systems for Torpedoes
Cosmic Ray Detector
Incendiary Shells
Synchronization of Motion Pictures and Music
Dynamic Multiplier
Regenerative Piano
Harmonic Organ
Eye Wash - Irest Trade Mark

Biography by John W. Pettibone, Executive Director and Curator, Hammond Castle Museum
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