title: Wendell Phillips Norton Sr.
text: # Wendell Phillips Norton Sr.
  
  Wendell Phillips Norton Sr. (May 14, 1861 – August 8, 1955) was the inventor of a mechanical gear shift on the Hendy-Norton lathe.
  
  ## Biography
  
  He was born on May 14, 1861, in Plainville, Connecticut, to John Calvin Norton and Harriet Hotchkiss. He died on August 8, 1955, at his home in Torrington, Connecticut.
  
  