William E. Sawyer Explained
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 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 Electro-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 the Thomson-Houston Electric Company until 1888 when Westinghouse 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 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. The Sawyer-Man company was eventually purchased by the Westinghouse Corporation and became the Westinghouse lighting division.[4]
Further reading
- Book: Bright, Arthur. The Electric-Lamp Industry. 1949. The MacMillan Company. 0405046901.
- Book: Childs, Emery. A History of the United States. 1885. H. Green. 1046511371.
- Book: Klein, Maury. The Power Makers. 2010. Bloomsbury Publishing. 9781596918344.
- Book: Perman, Statcy. A Grand Complication. 2013. Atria Books. 9781439190104.
- Book: Pope, Franklin Leonard. Evolution of Electric Incandescent Lamp. 1894. Boschen & Wefer. 1049374612.
- 1984 . William E. Sawyer and the Rise and Fall of America's First Incandescent Electric Light Company, 1878—1881 . Business and Economic History. Wrege . Charles D. . 13 . 31–48.
- News: . Graham Bell. 2 . The Fall River Daily Herald . Fall River, Massachusetts. November 1, 1881 . .
- News: . Voices for Freedom. 2 . The Boston Globe . Boston, Massachusetts. March 21, 1881 . .
- News: . William E. Sawyer dead /Electrician, Stenographer, Reporter and Telegraph Operator. 2 . The Boston Globe . Boston, Massachusetts. May 16, 1883 . .
- News: . Sawyer's Electric Lamp . The Cincinnati Enquirer . Cincinnati, Ohio. November 9, 1878 . .
- News: . Sawyer's Electric Lamp. The Daily Gazette . 1 . Wilmington, Delaware. November 5, 1878 . .
- News: . An Electric Lamp. Reading Times . 2 . Reading, Pennsylvania. October 31, 1878 . .
- News: . Incandescent Conductor / Edison loses his case . Star Tribune. 4 . Minneapolis, Minnesota. October 9, 1883 . .
- News: . The Electric Light . The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 5 . Brooklyn, New York. October 14, 1883 . .
- News: . A Warning . The Buffalo Commercial. 2 . Buffalo, New York. October 15, 1883 . .
- News: . Latest News . The Great Bend Weekly Tribune . 4 . Sedgwick, Kansas. October 12, 1883 . .
- News: . Current Comment . The Great Bend Weekly Tribune . 2 . Great Bend, Kansas. August 10, 1883 . .
- News: . Far and Near . The San Francisco Examiner . 8 . San Francisco, California. July 29, 1883 . .
- News: . Electricians at Law. Chicago Tribune . 9 . Chicago, Illinois . June 18, 1883 . .
- March 3, 1888 . Origin and Growth of the Thomson-Houston Company. Western Electrician Magazine . 2 . 9 . 116.
- News: . They cost a Million . Chicago Tribune . Chicago, Illinois. November 23, 1893 . .
- Furtan . F.A. . 2006 . Early development of the incandescent lamp . Industry Applications Magazine . Mar–Apr . 7–9 .
- News: . The Wonders of Telegraphy. Harvey County News. Newton, Kansas. November 16, 1876 . .
- News: . Fac-Similes sent by Lightning. Kansas Reporter. Wamego, Kansas. November 16, 1876 . .
- News: . The Fac Simile Telegraph. New Orleans Republican. New Orleans, Louisiana. October 21, 1876 . .
- Web site: Hagley Museum. E. Tunnicliff Fox Collection. 2021. Patent Model – Improvement in Autographic Telegraphs. June 14, 2021.
- Web site: Hagley Museum. E. Tunnicliff Fox Collection. 2021. Patent Model – Improvement in Autographic Telegraphs. June 14, 2021.
- Sawyer . W.E. . June 12, 1880. Seeing by Electricity . Scientific American . 42 . 373 . June 20, 2021.
- Web site: The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2021. Television Engineering Pioneers . June 17, 2021.
- News: . Seeing by Electricity . Denton Journal. Denton, Maryland. March 24, 1883 . .
- News: . Seeing by Electricity . The Morning Astorian. Astoria, Oregon. March 28, 1883 . .
- June 5, 1880. Seeing by Electricity . Scientific American . 41 . 299 . June 20, 2021.
- June 12, 1880 . Seeing by Electricity . Scientific American. Sawyer . William . 12 . 373.
- News: . Held for trial . The Saint Paul Globe . Saint Paul, Minnesota. April 7, 1880 . .
- News: . Sawyer shooting of Dr. Theophile Steele . Democrat and Chronicle . Rochester, New York. April 8, 1880 . .
- News: . 3 . Sawyer's Story. Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. April 9, 1880 . .
- News: . 2 . Professor Sawyer Found Guilty. Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. April 27, 1881 . .
- News: . 1 . Verdict Rendered. The Norfolk Landmark . Norfolk, Virginia. April 26, 1881 . .
- News: . 1 . The Electric Light Inventor Liable to be sent to Prison for Five Years. Buffalo Evening News . Buffalo, New York. April 28, 1881 . . * News: . Condensed News . The Times . Streator, Illinois. May 16, 1883 . .
- News: . Current Events . The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . Brooklyn, New York. June 7, 1882 . .
- 1883 . Death of an American Electrician . Electrical World . 1–2 . Williams & Company . 303 . June 6, 2021.
- News: . 1 . Contest for Custody of the late Prof. W.E. Sawyer's children . The Brooklyn Union . Brooklyn, New York. June 9, 1883 . .
- News: . 9 . The Late W.E. Sawyer's Children . The New York Times . New York, New York. June 10, 1883 . .
- News: . 1 . Before a Pardon Came . The Sun . New York, New York. May 16, 1883 . .
- News: . 2 . Summary of News . The Sun . Montpelier, Vermont . April 14, 1880 . .
- News: . 2 . William E. Sawyer's. Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. April 8, 1880 . .
External links
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- Hiram Maxim Hiram Maxim's account of Sawyer, Wayback Machine retrieval from 2013 Nov 5, original link broken.
Notes and References
- Charles D. . Wrege . Charles D. Wrege . 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 .
- 20 July 1920 . Light Inventor Honored . The New York Times . 2009-04-16.
- 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 in IEEE Industry Applications Magazine, Mar-Apr 2006, page 7-9