1. Elihu Thomson was an English-American engineer and inventor who was instrumental in the founding of major electrical companies in the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
13 Facts About Elihu Thomson
1. 2.
Elihu Thomson was born in Manchester, England, on March 29,1853, but his family moved to Philadelphia in the United States in 1858.
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Elihu Thomson took a teaching position at Central, and in 1876, at the age of twenty-three, held the chair of Chemistry.
4.
Elihu Thomson chose to solve problems in the rapidly expanding field of electric light and power.
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Elihu Thomson was notable both for his emphasis on models and for the singular focus with which he pursued his research, with Elihu Thomson referring to his workshop as a "model room" rather than a laboratory.
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Between 1880 and 1885, Elihu Thomson averaged twenty-one patent applications annually, doubling that average between 1885 and 1890.
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Elihu Thomson used his patents to bolster his company, Elihu Thomson-Houston Company, later General Electric.
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Elihu Thomson was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1876.
9.
Elihu Thomson received the honorary degree of AM from Yale.
10.
Elihu Thomson married Mary Louise Peck on May 1,1884.
11.
Elihu Thomson was a founding member, as well as the second president, of the International Electrotechnical Commission.
12.
Elihu Thomson, overcoming his distaste for management, accepted this role during a critical period for the university when it could not otherwise find a president.
13.
On June 21,1932, at age 79, Elihu Thomson was interviewed on film talking about his life and times.