William E. Sawyer

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]

References

1. 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.
2. "Light Inventor Honored". The New York Times. 20 July 1920. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
3. Maury Klein, The Power Makers: Steam, Electricity, and the Men Who Invented Modern America, Bloomsbury Publishing USA - 2010, page 281
4. F. A. Furfari, Early development of the incandescent lamp in IEEE Industry Applications Magazine, Mar-Apr 2006, page 7-9

Further reading

• Bright, Arthur (1949). The Electric-Lamp Industry. The MacMillan Company. ISBN 0405046901.
• 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 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Voices for Freedom". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. March 21, 1881. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .
• "William E. Sawyer dead /Electrician, Stenographer, Reporter and Telegraph Operator". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. May 16, 1883. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Sawyer's Electric Lamp". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. November 9, 1878 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Sawyer's Electric Lamp". The Daily Gazette. Wilmington, Delaware. November 5, 1878. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
• "An Electric Lamp". Reading Times. Reading, Pennsylvania. October 31, 1878. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Incandescent Conductor / Edison loses his case". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. October 9, 1883. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com .
• "The Electric Light". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. October 14, 1883. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com .
• "A Warning". The Buffalo Commercial. Buffalo, New York. October 15, 1883. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Latest News". The Great Bend Weekly Tribune. Sedgwick, Kansas. October 12, 1883. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Current Comment". The Great Bend Weekly Tribune. Great Bend, Kansas. August 10, 1883. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Far and Near". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. July 29, 1883. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Electricians at Law". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. June 18, 1883. p. 9 – via Newspapers.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 – via Newspapers.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 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Fac-Similes sent by Lightning". Kansas Reporter. Wamego, Kansas. November 16, 1876 – via Newspapers.com .
• "The Fac Simile Telegraph". New Orleans Republican. New Orleans, Louisiana. October 21, 1876 – via Newspapers.com .
• E. Tunnicliff Fox Collection (2021). "Patent Model – Improvement in Autographic Telegraphs". Hagley Museum. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
• E. Tunnicliff Fox Collection (2021). "Patent Model – Improvement in Autographic Telegraphs". Hagley Museum. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
• Sawyer, W.E. (June 12, 1880). "Seeing by Electricity". Scientific American. 42: 373. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
• "Television Engineering Pioneers". The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
• "Seeing by Electricity". Denton Journal. Denton, Maryland. March 24, 1883 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Seeing by Electricity". The Morning Astorian. Astoria, Oregon. March 28, 1883 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Seeing by Electricity". Scientific American. 41: 299. June 5, 1880. Retrieved June 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 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Sawyer shooting of Dr. Theophile Steele". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. April 8, 1880 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Sawyer's Story". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. April 9, 1880. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Professor Sawyer Found Guilty". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. April 27, 1881. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Verdict Rendered". The Norfolk Landmark. Norfolk, Virginia. April 26, 1881. p. 1 – via Newspapers.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 – via Newspapers.com .* "Condensed News". The Times. Streator, Illinois. May 16, 1883 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Current Events". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. June 7, 1882 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Death of an American Electrician". Electrical World. 1–2. Williams & Company: 303. 1883. Retrieved June 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 – via Newspapers.com .
• "The Late W.E. Sawyer's Children". The New York Times. New York, New York. June 10, 1883. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Before a Pardon Came". The Sun. New York, New York. May 16, 1883. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Summary of News". The Sun. Montpelier, Vermont. April 14, 1880. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .
• "William E. Sawyer's". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. April 8, 1880. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .

External links

• Works by or about William E. Sawyer at the Internet 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.