Westinghouse, George

WESTINGHOUSE, GEORGE

George Westinghouse (1846–1914) was an inventor who applied his talents to the railroad and electrical industries. He was a prolific inventor who obtained more than 400 patents during his career, best known for developing and promoting the alternating current power system as a substitute for direct current.

George Westinghouse was born in Central Bridge, New York, on October 6, 1846, the eighth of ten children. When Westinghouse was ten years old, his father moved the family to Schenectady, New York, where he opened a machine shop. Westinghouse worked in his father's factory as a child and gained experience and skill using a variety of machinery. In 1863 he enlisted in the Union Army as a private, serving during the American Civil War (1861–1865). One year later he became a third assistant engineer in the Navy.

After his military service ended, Westinghouse briefly attended Union College and continued to help in his father's factory. In 1865 Westinghouse received his first patent for a rotary steam engine. That particular product was not successful, but it was the first of many patents for Westinghouse. He next became interested in the workings of the railroad.

Westinghouse's first big success as an inventor came in 1869 when he patented an air brake for railroad cars—until that time, trains were stopped with manually-operated brakes. Westinghouse developed a compressed air brake, which was later improved through 20 additional patents. This invention led to the organization of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company in 1869 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. He continued to improve the brake system and developed a revolutionary automatic train brake in 1872. His inventions greatly improved the railroad industry by allowing trains to operate safely at higher speeds.

In addition to brakes, Westinghouse was interested in other aspects of the railroad. With the increasing volume of rail traffic he saw the need to improve the signaling devices and interlocking switches of railroads. He studied European signaling systems and worked on signaling improvements using the combination of compressed air and electricity. In 1881 Westinghouse formed the Union Switch and Signal Company. Once again, his ideas made the railroads safer and more efficient.

Westinghouse's inventions, however, were not limited to the railroad industry. In the early 1880s Westinghouse applied some of his ideas about compressed air to the new natural gas industry. A well drilled in the yard of his home served as the source of several dozen inventions for controlling and distributing natural gas. Westinghouse invented a reduction valve for natural gas which allowed the gas to be transmitted at high pressure but distributed at low pressure.

This interest in natural gas then led Westinghouse toward involvement in the control and distribution of electricity. Westinghouse believed that a device similar to the reduction valve could be applied to electricity. Once again he studied European systems to see what could be applied to his new project. In 1886 he formed the Westinghouse Electric Company to develop and promote the use of alternating current electricity. A researcher for his company, Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), designed a polyphase system of alternating current and applied it to motors and lights. Westinghouse was one of the first inventors to understand that cheap, long-distance electrical power could come from transformers that would convert high alternating voltages to lower voltages at the point of use.

Westinghouse's revolutionary idea was initially tough to sell to the public. His main opposition came from Thomas Edison (1847–1931) and his company, which supported direct current rather than alternating current. Westinghouse slowly established a foothold in the electrical industry. By 1890 his company had installed more than 300 central power stations. The first big test for the system came in 1893 when Westinghouse won the contract to supply electricity for the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Westinghouse produced an impressive show of a quarter of a million lights. This success led to a new contract to build three generators to harness the power of Niagara Falls. The success of that project established the effectiveness and efficiency of alternating current power. In less than ten years Westinghouse had been able to convince the public of the value of alternating current power. Soon afterwards 95 percent of all electrical power produced was alternating current.

Despite the success of this invention, the Westinghouse company ran into some financial troubles in the early 1900s. In 1907 the company went bankrupt due to the general business crisis and financial panic of the time. Westinghouse regained control of the company a year later, but could not quickly recover its prosperity. In 1911 he retired from active management of the company, though he continued to experiment with new products.

George Westinghouse died in New York City on March 12, 1914. The Westinghouse Company continued to market the alternating current system as well as electrical devices that worked well with the new system. To this end the company developed many new innovations during Westinghouse's lifetime and afterwards. Among these were the first steam turbine for an electric utility, the first mail roll drive for a steel mill, the first American-built tungsten lamp, the first commercial radio station, and the first television camera tube.

See also: Patent, Railroad Industry, Utilities Industry

FURTHER READING

Berger, Joseph. The Young Scientists: America's Future and the Winning of the Westinghouse. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1994.

Leupp, Francis Ellington. George Westinghouse: His Life and Achievements. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1919.

Prout, Henry G. A Life of George Westinghouse. New York: The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1921.

Ravage, Barbara. George Westinghouse: A Genius for Invention. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 1997.

Steck, Robert N. "George Westinghouse Meets the Wizard." D&B Reports. September-October 1990.