Westinghouse, George, 1846–1914, American inventor and manufacturer, b. Central Bridge, N.Y. In the Civil War he served in the Union army and navy. Among his inventions in the railroad field were a reversible frog, the air brake (1868), and automatic signal devices. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company was organized in 1869 and the Union Switch and Signal Company in 1882. Westinghouse was a pioneer in introducing into the United States the high-voltage alternating current system for transmission of electricity. In 1866 the Westinghouse Electric Company was incorporated. The inventor also patented devices for the transmission of natural gas. Over 400 patents were credited to him in his lifetime.

Westinghouse, George

Westinghouse

(credit: Courtesy of Westinghouse Electric Corporation)

(born Oct. 6, 1846, Central Bridge, N.Y., U.S.—died March 12, 1914, New York, N.Y.) U.S. inventor and industrialist. He served in the American Civil War. His first major invention was an air brake (patented 1869), which was eventually made compulsory on all American trains. He developed a railway signaling system and later introduced many innovations in piping natural gas. His major achievement was the adoption by the U.S. of alternating current (AC) for electric power transmission. The electrical system being developed in the U.S. in the 1880s used direct current (DC), though AC systems were being developed in Europe. Westinghouse purchased the patents for Nikola Tesla's AC motor and hired Tesla to improve and modify the motor for use in his power system. In 1886 he incorporated the predecessor of Westinghouse Electric Corp. He eventually prevailed over powerful opposition from advocates of DC power, and in 1893 his company was hired to light the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago. He also obtained the rights to develop the great falls of the Niagara River with AC generators. See also electric current.

Westinghouse, George (1846–1914) engineer, inventor, manufacturer; born in Central Bridge, N.Y. After serving in the Union forces during the Civil War, he turned his attention to the development of a railroad braking system, patenting an air brake in 1869 that soon became widely used. He also combined his own inventions and patents he purchased to introduce electrically controlled signal and switching systems for the railroads. He also invented the gas meter and a system of conducting natural gas through pipes safely into homes. He was a pioneer in the development of means to transmit alternating current over distances to provide electric power for domestic and industrial use. He founded the Westinghouse Electric Company in 1886; by the turn of the century, his enterprises employed more than 50,000 workers and were among the most powerful and successful in the U.S.A. By 1907 he had lost some of his power and he retired in 1911, but he continued to experiment with various new devices.