Moody, Paul

Moody, Paul

(1779–1831) inventor; born in Newbury, Mass. The son of a Revolutionary War officer, he went to work in a woolen mill at age 12 and soon became an expert mechanic. Beginning in 1814, he built and repaired mill machinery in partnership with Francis C. Lowell. Moody designed a series of mechanical improvements that sped the development of the New England textile industry. He was a champion of the temperance movement in Massachusetts.