The Edison Pioneers was an organization composed of former employees of

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...

who had worked with the inventor in his early years. Membership was limited to people who had worked closely with Edison before 1885. On February 11, 1918, the Edison Pioneers met for the first time, on the 71st birthday of Edison. There were 37 people at the first meeting. Edison himself was not present; it was announced he was "engaged in important government service". It was suspected he was working on a military project since

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

was still in progress. The organization had 100 members although in later years descendants of Edison Pioneers were also allowed membership.

Members

Members of the Edison Pioneers: *

Edward Goodrich Acheson Edward Goodrich Acheson (March 9, 1856 – July 6, 1931) was an American chemist. Born in Washington, Pennsylvania, he was the inventor of the Acheson process, which is still used to make Silicon carbide (carborundum) and later a manufacturer of ...

(1856–1931) *

William Symes Andrews William Symes Andrews (September 10, 1847 – July 1, 1929) was an Edison Pioneer, electrical engineer, and one of the first employees of the General Electric Company. Biography He was born in England in 1847. He started working at Edison's Menl ...

(1847–1929) *

John I. Beggs John Irvin Beggs (September 17, 1847 – October 17, 1925) was an American businessman. He was associated closely with the electric utility boom under Thomas Edison. He was also associated with Milwaukee, St. Louis, Missouri and other regiona ...

(1847–1925) * C. A. Benton * Sigmund Bergmann * Charles S. Bradley * James Burke (1873–1940)* * Charles Lorenzo Clarke (1853-1941) *George V. Delany (died 1933) * Charles L Edgar * Charles L. Eidlitz (1866–1951), business executive * William E. Gilmore * Edwin T. Greenfield *

William Joseph Hammer William Joseph Hammer (February 26, 1858 – March 24, 1934) was an American pioneer electrical engineer, aviator, and president of the Edison Pioneers. Biography He was born in Cressona, Pennsylvania on February 26, 1858 to William Hammer (1827� ...

John White Howell John White Howell (December 22, 1857 – July 28, 1937) was an American electrical engineer who spent his entire professional career (1880 to 1930) working for Thomas Edison, specializing in the development and manufacturing of the incandescent la ...

Samuel Insull Samuel Insull (November 11, 1859 – July 16, 1938) was a British-born American business magnate. He was an innovator and investor based in Chicago who greatly contributed to create an integrated electrical infrastructure in the United States ...

(1859–1938) *

Francis Jehl Francis Jehl (September 6, 1860 - February 11, 1941) was a laboratory assistant of Thomas Edison. Jehl studied chemistry at Cooper Union at night. After finishing school at the age of 18, he went to work for Edison at Menlo Park. In 1882, Jehl we ...

* Oscar Junggren * Alfred W Kiddle * Isaac Krall *

Lewis Howard Latimer Lewis Howard Latimer (September 4, 1848 – December 11, 1928) was an African-American inventor and patent draftsman. His inventions included an evaporative air conditioner, an improved process for manufacturing carbon filaments for light bulbs, ...

Thomas Commerford Martin Thomas Commerford Martin (July 22, 1856 – May 17, 1924) was an American electrical engineer and editor. Martin was born in Limehouse, England. His father worked with Lord Kelvin and other pioneers of submarine telegraph cables, and Martin worke ...

(1856–1924) *

George F. Morrison George Francis Morrison (1867–1943), was an American business executive, industrialist, Edison Pioneer, and a Director and Vice President of General Electric Company. He was one of Thomas Edison, Thomas Edison's closest associates and a pioneer ...

(1867–1943), Vice President of

General Electric Company The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering. The company was founded in 1886, was Britain's largest private employer with over 250 ...

* H. W. Nelson *

Frederic Nicholls Frederic Thomas Nicholls (November 22, 1856 – October 25, 1921) was a Canadian businessman, electrical engineer and politician. He was a Conservative senator representing the senatorial division of Toronto, Ontario from 1917 to 1921. In 1892 ...

* John G Ott * Henry V.A. Parsell (1868-1962) * Charles E. Pattison * Charles R. Price *

Louis Rau Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

* Frederick Sargent * Frederick A. Scheffler *

Elmer Ambrose Sperry Elmer Ambrose Sperry Sr. (October 12, 1860 – June 16, 1930) was an American inventor and entrepreneur, most famous for construction, two years after Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe, of the gyrocompass and as founder of the Sperry Gyroscope Company. H ...

(1860–1930) *

Francis Robbins Upton Francis Robbins Upton (1852 in Peabody, Massachusetts – March 10, 1921 in Orange, New Jersey) was an American physicist and mathematician. Upton worked alongside Thomas Edison in the development of incandescent light bulbs, electric generators, ...

, first president *Theodore Vandeventer * Montgomery Waddell *

Schuyler Skaats Wheeler Schuyler Skaats Wheeler (May 17, 1860 – April 20, 1923) was an American electrical engineer and manufacturer who invented the electric fan, an electric elevator design, and the electric fire engine. He is associated with the early development ...

* Edwin R. Weeks * Charles Wirt

References

External links

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{{authority control Thomas Edison Engineering societies based in the United States History of engineering Organizations established in 1918 1918 establishments in the United States