William Edward Sawyer (c. 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 inThe New York Times described him as best known for pioneering the development of theincandescent light.[2]In partnership withAlbon Man (June 29, 1826- February 18, 1905) he foundedElectro-Dynamic Light Company to produce incandescent lamps. From 1879 thorough 1885 the company successfully defended his patents against the interests of the Edison company. The patent was controlled by theThomson-Houston Electric Company until 1888 whenWestinghouse Electric bought the company producing the lamp,Consolidated Electric Light.[3] Sawyer-Man based 'stopper' lamps, although not as long lasting as the Edison lamp, did allow Westinghouse to successfully illuminate the ChicagoWorld's Columbian Exposition of 1893. The Sawyer-Man company was eventually purchased by the Westinghouse Corporation and became the Westinghouse lighting division.[4]
References
edit- ^Wrege, Charles D.; Greenwood, Ronald G."William E. Sawyer and the Rise and Fall of America's First Incandescent Electric Light Company, 1878-1881"(PDF).Business and Economic History. 2.13:31–48.
- ^"Light Inventor Honored".The New York Times. 20 July 1920. Retrieved2009-04-16.
- ^Maury Klein, The Power Makers: Steam, Electricity, and the Men Who Invented Modern America, Bloomsbury Publishing USA - 2010, page 281
- ^F. A. Furfari,Early development of the incandescent lamp inIEEE Industry Applications Magazine, Mar-Apr 2006, page 7-9
Further reading
edit- Bright, Arthur (1949).The Electric-Lamp Industry. The MacMillan Company.ISBN 0405046901.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - Childs, Emery (1885).A History of the United States. H. Green.OCLC 1046511371.
- Klein, Maury (2010).The Power Makers. Bloomsbury Publishing.ISBN 9781596918344.
- Perman, Statcy (2013).A Grand Complication. Atria Books.ISBN 9781439190104.
- Pope, Franklin Leonard (1894).Evolution of Electric Incandescent Lamp. Boschen & Wefer.OCLC 1049374612.
- Wrege, Charles D. (1984)."William E. Sawyer and the Rise and Fall of America's First Incandescent Electric Light Company, 1878—1881"(PDF).Business and Economic History.13:31–48.
- "Graham Bell".The Fall River Daily Herald. Fall River, Massachusetts. November 1, 1881. p. 2 – viaNewspapers.com
. - "Voices for Freedom".The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. March 21, 1881. p. 2 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "William E. Sawyer dead /Electrician, Stenographer, Reporter and Telegraph Operator".The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. May 16, 1883. p. 2 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Sawyer's Electric Lamp".The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. November 9, 1878 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Sawyer's Electric Lamp".The Daily Gazette. Wilmington, Delaware. November 5, 1878. p. 1 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "An Electric Lamp".Reading Times. Reading, Pennsylvania. October 31, 1878. p. 2 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Incandescent Conductor / Edison loses his case".Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. October 9, 1883. p. 4 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "The Electric Light".The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. October 14, 1883. p. 5 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "A Warning".The Buffalo Commercial. Buffalo, New York. October 15, 1883. p. 2 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Latest News".The Great Bend Weekly Tribune. Sedgwick, Kansas. October 12, 1883. p. 4 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Current Comment".The Great Bend Weekly Tribune. Great Bend, Kansas. August 10, 1883. p. 2 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Far and Near".The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. July 29, 1883. p. 8 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Electricians at Law".Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. June 18, 1883. p. 9 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Origin and Growth of the Thomson-Houston Company".Western Electrician Magazine.2 (9): 116. March 3, 1888.
- "They cost a Million".Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. November 23, 1893 – viaNewspapers.com .
- Furtan, F.A. (2006). "Early development of the incandescent lamp".Industry Applications Magazine.Mar–Apr:7–9.
- "The Wonders of Telegraphy".Harvey County News. Newton, Kansas. November 16, 1876 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Fac-Similes sent by Lightning".Kansas Reporter. Wamego, Kansas. November 16, 1876 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "The Fac Simile Telegraph".New Orleans Republican. New Orleans, Louisiana. October 21, 1876 – viaNewspapers.com .
- E. Tunnicliff Fox Collection (2021)."Patent Model – Improvement in Autographic Telegraphs". Hagley Museum. RetrievedJune 14, 2021.
- E. Tunnicliff Fox Collection (2021)."Patent Model – Improvement in Autographic Telegraphs". Hagley Museum. RetrievedJune 14, 2021.
- Sawyer, W.E. (June 12, 1880)."Seeing by Electricity".Scientific American.42: 373. RetrievedJune 20, 2021.
- "Television Engineering Pioneers". The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2021. RetrievedJune 17, 2021.
- "Seeing by Electricity".Denton Journal. Denton, Maryland. March 24, 1883 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Seeing by Electricity".The Morning Astorian. Astoria, Oregon. March 28, 1883 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Seeing by Electricity".Scientific American.41: 299. June 5, 1880. RetrievedJune 20, 2021.
- Sawyer, William (June 12, 1880). "Seeing by Electricity".Scientific American.12: 373.
- "Held for trial".The Saint Paul Globe. Saint Paul, Minnesota. April 7, 1880 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Sawyer shooting of Dr. Theophile Steele".Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. April 8, 1880 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Sawyer's Story".Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. April 9, 1880. p. 3 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Professor Sawyer Found Guilty".Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. April 27, 1881. p. 2 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Verdict Rendered".The Norfolk Landmark. Norfolk, Virginia. April 26, 1881. p. 1 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "The Electric Light Inventor Liable to be sent to Prison for Five Years".Buffalo Evening News. Buffalo, New York. April 28, 1881. p. 1 – viaNewspapers.com .*"Condensed News".The Times. Streator, Illinois. May 16, 1883 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Current Events".The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. June 7, 1882 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Death of an American Electrician".Electrical World.1–2. Williams & Company: 303. 1883. RetrievedJune 6, 2021.
- "Contest for Custody of the late Prof. W.E. Sawyer's children".The Brooklyn Union. Brooklyn, New York. June 9, 1883. p. 1 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "The Late W.E. Sawyer's Children".The New York Times. New York, New York. June 10, 1883. p. 9 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Before a Pardon Came".The Sun. New York, New York. May 16, 1883. p. 1 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "Summary of News".The Sun. Montpelier, Vermont. April 14, 1880. p. 2 – viaNewspapers.com .
- "William E. Sawyer's".Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. April 8, 1880. p. 2 – viaNewspapers.com .
External links
edit- Works by or about William E. Sawyer at theInternet Archive
- William Edward Sawyer Wayback Machine retrieval 2014 Mar 26, original link broken.
- Hiram Maxim Hiram Maxim's account of Sawyer, Wayback Machine retrieval from 2013 Nov 5, original link broken.
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