Maxim, Hudson (1853 - 1927)

Genre: Non-Fiction

Hudson Maxim was brother to Hiram Maxim (inventor of the machine gun) and is best known for his work on gunpowder used during WWI, although he also wrote several books and actually began his career by publishing a book on penmanship.

He was born in Orneville, ME and educated at Wesleyan Seminary in Kents Hill, ME. He moved to the United Kingdom and worked with his brother Hiram for a while, but had a falling out and returned to the United States. A good friend of his was a passenger on the Lusitania and died when Germany sunk her. He became convinced that the United States' weaponry was subpar and wrote a book about it. He devoted much of his career to developing superior gunpowders and fuses and donated many inventions to the United States government.

He died at his home in New Jersey.