Thomson, Elihu, 1853-1937

Dates

• Existence: 1853 March 29 - 1937 March 13

Biography

Elihu Thomson, 1853-1937, was an English-born, American inventor and engineer, who served as acting President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) twice–from March 1920 to July 1921 and from November 1921 to January 1923. Thomson is more widely known for his collaboration with Thomas Edison in forming the company, General Electric (GE).

Educated in science, Thomson became a professor at Philadelphia's Central High School just as he turned 18 years-old [1]. In 1880, he and fellow science professor Edwin Houston established a company together, Thomson-Houston, to sell arc lamp systems [2].

By 1890, Thomas Edison’s company, Edison General, and Thomson-Houston were the largest players in the American lighting industry [2]. In 1892, the two companies completed a merger, creating General Electric. At GE, Thomson helped establish a tradition of product improvement and scientific research that led to the creation of GE's first research laboratory in 1900 [2]. Across his career, Thomson was granted 696 U.S. patents on various types of inventions related to electricity, including arc lights, generators, electric welding machines, and x-ray tubes [2].

At MIT, Thomson was a lecturer in electrical engineering from 1894 to 1937, and was a Life Member of the Corporation from 1898 to 1937 [1]. Much of his tenure as MIT’s acting president, which overlaps the presidency of Ernest Fox Nichols (who was incapacitated by illness), was conducted from his home in Swampscott, Massachusetts [1].

Thomson was married to Mary Louise Peck in 1884, until her death in 1916. They shared four children together. After Pecker's passing, Thomson would marry again to Clarissa Hovey. Elihu Thomson died on March 13th, 1937 at his estate in Swampscott, Massachusetts. The Elihu Thomson House in Swampscott was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1976 and serves as Swampscott's town hall.

1. "ELIHU THOMSON, 1853-1937" MIT Libraries (October 2004) 2. "Elihu Thomson: Advances in Electric Lighting" Lemelson-MIT (nd)

Occupations

• University and college administrators
• Engineers

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