M. (Moses) Quinby

Born in April 1810 and dying in May 1875, Moses Quinby was an American beekeeper from New York whose work had a lasting influence on how beekeeping was practiced in the United States.

He is often described as the father of practical beekeeping and of commercial beekeeping in America. Quinby became best known for developing the bellows bee smoker, a tool that made hive work easier and safer, and for sharing his experience through articles and books aimed at everyday beekeepers.

His writing mattered because it was grounded in hands-on practice. Rather than treating beekeeping as a curiosity, he helped present it as a skilled, workable occupation, which is part of why his name still appears in the history of American apiculture.