Famous For: Father of the American iron industry.

Biography: Daniel Williams (a native of Ystradgynlais) of Vancouver has sent us this information:

David Thomas was born in the Swansea Valley and in the 1830's he became Superintendent of the Ynyscedwyn Iron Works in Ystradgynlais. In 1837 he built the first blast furnace fuelled by anthracite coal, which was available in great abundance in the Swansea Valley.

Before this, iron furnaces had been fuelled by a mixture of coke and bituminous (soft) coal which had to be transported from further afield. His discovery led to a boom in the iron industry in South Wales and gave further impetus to the Industrial Revolution in Britain.

In 1839 David Thomas was lured to America and he used his knowledge to build an iron industry on the anthracite coalfields in Pennsylvania. In 1854 he founded the Thomas Iron Company, which eventually became the largest iron producer in the United States. The iron industry played an important role in the Northern victory in the Civil War.

A historical marker outside David Thomas' house in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, states: 'Father of the American anthracite iron industry lived here. A native of Wales, he built Crane Iron Works, deemed the world's first anthracite iron furnace to be completed successfully both commercially and from an engineering standpoint'.

Moment of Glory: Building the first blast furnance fuelled by anthracite coal.

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