Congreve Sir William

Congreve, Sir William, baronet, inventor of the rocket that bears his name, was born May 20, 1772. He began his career in the army, and in 1808 invented the Congreve rocket. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society, and in 1812 was returned to Parliament for Gatton, succeeding his father in the baronetcy in 1814. He wrote An Elementary Treatise on the Mounting of Naval Ordnance (1812), and a Description of the Hydro-Pneumatic Lock (1815). He died in 1828 at Toulouse.