William E. Sawyer
William Edward Sawyer (1850-May 15, 1883)[1] was an American inventor whose contribution was primarily in the field of electric engineering and electric lighting.
His primary inventions included:
- Telegraph apparatus for cable use (March 31, 1874)
- Automatic and autographic telegraph and circuit (February 2, 1875)
- Electric engineering and lighting apparatus and system (August 14, 1877)
- Device for effecting the static discharge in autographic telegraphy (November 6, 1877)
- Electric switch (June 29, 1880)
- Electrical safety device for elevators (July 6, 1880)
A 1920 article in The New York Times described him as best known for pioneering the development of the incandescent light.[2] In partnership with Albon Man (June 29, 1826- February 18, 1905) he founded a company to produce incandescent lamps. From 1879 thorough 1885 the company successfully defended his patents against the interests of the Edison company. Use of the Sawyer-Man 'stopper' lamps allowed Westinghouse to successfully bid for the contract to illuminate the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, a key development in the War of Currents. The Sawyer-Man company was eventually purchased by the Westinghouse Corporation and became the Westinghouse lighting division. [3]
[edit] See also
- William Edward Sawyer retrieved 2010 Jan 18
- Hiram Maxim Hiram Maxim's account of Sawyer retrieved 2010 Jan 18
[edit] References
- ^ Wrege, Charles D.; Greenwood, Ronald G.. "William E. Sawyer and the Rise and Fall of America's First Incandescent Electric Light Company, 1878-1881". Business and Economic History. 2 13: 31–48. http://h-net.org/~business/bhcweb/publications/BEHprint/v013/p0031-p0049.pdf.
- ^ "Light Inventor Honored". The New York Times. 20 July 1920. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C00E0DC1031E433A25750C0A9619C946195D6CF. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
- ^ F. A. Furfari, Early development of the incandescent lamp in IEEE Industry Applications Magazine, Mar-Apr 2006, page 7-9
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