Robert Hoe (machinist)

Robert Hoe (1784–1833), born in Leicestershire, England, was a master carpenter and machinist in the United States, to which he emigrated in 1803. In 1823 he became sole proprietor of the R. Hoe & Company, retiring in 1832. A skilled mechanic, he constructed and introduced the original Hoe press and was, it is thought, the earliest American machinist to utilize steam as a motive power in his plant.