Early Life
He was born the son of a cotton-bleacher, in Bolton, England. He trained as an engineer and draughtsman, and attended the Mechanics Institute in Manchester.
His first professional employment was at a shipyard in Toulon, France, and then as a consultant engineer in Milan, Italy. He then moved to Trieste, on the Adriatic coast of Austria.
Whitehead's work in Trieste was noticed by the owners of Fonderia Metalli, a metal foundry in the nearby city of Fiume (today Rijeka, Croatia). In 1856 Whitehead became manager of the company, and changed its name to Stabilimento Tecnico di Fiume (STF). STF produced marine steam boilers and engines, which were the most modern products of that era. The Austrian Navy was a customer.
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