Benjamin Pike Jr.


Benjamin Pike Jr. was a businessman and manufacturer of philosophical and optical instruments. He was the eldest son of Benjamin Pike Sr., whom he joined in business from 1831 to 1841 under the name Benjamin Pike & Son, before establishing his own successful firm, Benjamin Pike Jr. & Co.

Early life

Benjamin Pike Jr. was born in 1809 in New York City, New York, into a family of English immigrants. His father, Benjamin Pike Sr., immigrated from the United [Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom] to establish his own optical, scientific, and engineering business in New York, Benjamin Pike Sr. Very little is known about Pike's early life, but it is known he grew up in the Pike family home on North Moore Street, Manhattan. It is presumed that he studied to be an optician like Pike Sr.
Pike had five siblings, Daniel, Mary, Elizabeth, Gardiner, and Harriet, all born between 1818 and 1827.

Career

Benjamin Pike & Sons

Records show that in 1831, Pike Jr. joined his father in business, prompting the company to adopt the name Benjamin Pike & Son. However, this name would go on to change quite frequently as family members came and went from the business. For example, when Pike's younger brother, Daniel, joined the business in 1839, it became known as Benjamin Pike & Sons.
By the 1840s, the firm had earned widespread acclaim from patrons and experts alike, with Benjamin Pike & Sons going on to win a Silver Medal at the Fifth Annual Fair of the Mechanics' Institute, being commended for their "surveying and drawing instruments". The Thirteenth Annual Fair of the American Institute would mark another victory for the firm after receiving a second place Diploma for "specimens of surveyors compasses and levels, beautiful finish"

Benjamin Pike Jr. & Co

In 1843, Benjamin Jr. separated from his family's business and formed his own firm, viewed in similarly high regard by the public, known simply as Benjamin Pike Jr. & Co., located at 294 Broadway. This also served as his family's home until 1858. Pike Jr.’s expertise and innovative approach quickly earned his new venture recognition, with many noting his "widely known mechanical skill". His firm won several awards for both the quality and use of his many instruments, including three silver medals at American Institute Fairs shortly after going into business. Two of which were for his remarkably "superior air pumps" and one other for his innovative "electro-magnetic apparatus". It was again at the American Institute Fairs that he would win two diplomas that demonstrated his firm's proficiency in both purely mathematical and scientific instruments.

Scientific catalogs

Pike Jr.’s success was supported not only by craftsmanship but also by his approach to marketing. In the 1840s, he issued two catalogs, one in 1848 and another in 1856, that together listed over 750 instruments ranging from telescopes to spectacles. The catalogs included descriptions, engravings, and basic instructions for use, along with information on the scientific principles behind the devices, making them serve both commercial and educational purposes. These publications were considered extensive for the period, and rather than limiting sales to customers who visited his Manhattan firm, Pike created a system that enabled individuals from elsewhere to see and purchase his products. This made the catalog not only a sales tool but also a valuable educational resource for scientists and engineers. By allowing individuals to view and order products from a distance, he created a system that allowed individuals from anywhere to see and purchase his products on a monumental scale.
This marketing innovation was significant for his business and influenced the broader scientific community and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. It was regarded as one of the most comprehensive collections of philosophical instruments produced at the time, functioning as a wide-ranging catalog of scientific devices and products available during the period.
Moreover, it was in these catalogs that Pike took the opportunity to further emphasize the quality of his products and the innovative and modern nature of his designs that incorporated all the finest aspects of the age's contemporary science and engineering. He further wished to sway the favor of the United States' growing scientific community and shift their consumption from traditionally European instruments to those of his own firm, and in this goal, he largely succeeded. Hence, orders flowed from all across the nation and even parts of Europe, which brought Pike and his company to new heights of fame and prestige. He then massively expanded his business by demolishing and rebuilding a larger version of his store at the same address in 1850 to accommodate the new influx of customers. Leading to the further growth and development of the market reach of his firm as word spread of its quality.
In addition, his depictions and descriptions were used commonly for more than a century for analysis of both period and contemporary counterparts of scientific instruments in a wide variety of textbooks. By the early 20th century, his work had become a basis for scientific demonstration and description in both professional and scholastic environments.

Personal life

Pike married Frances Matilda Hope on April 14, 1838, with whom he had a son and two daughters.
The Pike family reportedly desired an escape from the busy and crowded life of the city where they had been living on the upper floors of their shop for over a decade. So, using the income collected as a result of their massive surge in business, Pike constructed an $85,000 27-room mansion in Northern Queens in what is today Astoria, New York. He was seen here in the 1860 U.S. Census, and despite his large optical firm, Pike had his occupation listed as a farmer. The home was later sold to William Steinway of the piano-making Steinway family in 1870 after the death of Benjamin Pike Jr., and is today known as the Steinway Mansion.

Death

Pike died of "congestion of the lungs" on the morning of May 7, 1864, in Astoria, New York, around the age of 53. His widow subsequently sold the mansion, which was bought by William Steinway in 1870. It is unknown where Pike's wife and children moved following this.
Pike is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery
According to directories, the Pike Jr. firm was permanently closed shortly after.