Francis Robbins Upton (1852 in
Peabody, Massachusetts – March 10, 1921 in
Orange, New Jersey
The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000.
Orange was original ...
) was an American
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
and
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
. Upton worked alongside
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 inventi ...
in the development of
incandescent light bulb
An incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is an electric light with a wire filament heated until it glows. The filament is enclosed in a glass bulb with a vacuum or inert gas to protect the filament from oxid ...
s,
electric generators, and
electric power distribution
Electric power distribution is the final stage in the delivery of electric power; it carries electricity from the transmission system to individual consumers. Distribution substations connect to the transmission system and lower the transmissi ...
. He was the first president of the
Edison Pioneers The Edison Pioneers was an organization composed of former employees of Thomas Edison 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 Ed ...
.
Early life
Francis Upton was the son of Elijah Wood Upton and Lucy Elizabeth Winchester. Elijah was well educated and after, he did European travel. Later he was forced to take over his father's glue business due to his father's illness. Francis was 16 by this time and studying at Phillips Academy in Andover, after he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1875 at
Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME. There he met Elizabeth F. Perry, later to become his wife.
Francis Upton also attended
Berlin University
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
and
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
. Francis was the first ever to officially receive his
doctoral degree
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
from Princeton University. Upton was then hired by
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 inventi ...
. One of Edison's biographers described the hired man thus:
:Two years Edison’s senior, Boston-born graduate of Bowdoin College and Princeton, expert in calculus, tempered by a year of postgraduate study at the University of Berlin with
Hermann von Helmholtz
Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (31 August 1821 – 8 September 1894) was a German physicist and physician who made significant contributions in several scientific fields, particularly hydrodynamic stability. The Helmholtz Associatio ...
.
Upton married Elizabeth F. Perry in September, 1879, in Brunswick, Maine. Their daughter Elizabeth Fenno Upton was born August 24, 1880. Upton's sister Sadie, a frequent visitor in
Menlo Park, is described as a "smart attractive lady with a distinguished swing".
[
]
Work life
Upton was hired by Edison in 1878 on the recommendation of Grosvenor Lowrey.
:Upton possessed a mild, modest disposition combined with a keen intelligence. His versatile knowledge of physics made him a most valuable assistant to Edison in that period.[
Edison was largely self-educated. He was brimming over with ideas but needed someone with advanced mathematical skills who could do calculations and research the scientific literature to help solve intractable problems. As ]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 ...
was also working with Edison, he needed another handle besides ''Francis'' for Upton:
:Affectionately nicknamed "Culture" by his boss because of his introspective, learned mien, piano-playing talent, and impeccable educational credentials.[
The challenge of electric illumination was addressed:
:Upton’s very first assignment for the company was to conduct an extensive literature search through existing domestic and foreign patents for all the information he could find about arc and incandescent lighting.][
:Many thought that only current (quantity) was the magnitude register of work, without taking potential into consideration. Upton ransacked the ]Philosophical Magazine
The ''Philosophical Magazine'' is one of the oldest scientific journals published in English. It was established by Alexander Tilloch in 1798;John Burnett"Tilloch, Alexander (1759–1825)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford Univer ...
, the Poggendorf Annalen
''Annalen der Physik'' (English: ''Annals of Physics'') is one of the oldest scientific journals on physics; it has been published since 1799. The journal publishes original, peer-reviewed papers on experimental, theoretical, applied, and mathe ...
, the Comptes Rendus, ''Dingler's Polytechnical Journal'' and other musty volumes of scientific societies in search of data, trying to put Edison’s ideas into practical form.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 ...
(1937) ''Menlo Park Reminiscences'', Edison Institute
The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a history museum complex in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, United States. The museum collection contains ...
Initially experiments ran currents through metals. Upton attended the 28th meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and spoke "On the phenomena of heating metals in vacuo by means of electric current".[
Upton and Edison worked together on the incandescent lamp and in 1880 Upton reported on the history of electric lighting and Edison's lamp.
]
As evidence of the Upton's use of algebra, his approach to finding the appropriate cross-section ''S'' for a wire of length ''L'' carrying ''W'' amperes at ''V'' volts, was to take resistance ''R'' = ''L'' / ''S''. Upton applied Ohm's law to obtain ''S'' = (''W L'') / ''V''.[
Upton has been credited with helping Edison govern his Menlo Park laboratory:
:Francis Upton’s arrival marked the transition from initial freneticism to a more reasoned approach at Menlo Park, not only because of the thoroughly grounded aspect of his research but also because his austere sensibility had a salutatory influence on Edison.][
When Edison's generator was evaluated, Upton published the report.
Upton contributed to other key inventions such as the ]watt-hour meter
North American domestic analog electricity meter.
Electricity meter with transparent plastic case (Israel)
North American domestic electronic electricity meter
An electricity meter, electric meter, electrical meter, energy meter, or kilowa ...
, the parallel circuit
Two-terminal components and electrical networks can be connected in series or parallel. The resulting electrical network will have two terminals, and itself can participate in a series or parallel topology. Whether a two-terminal "object" is a ...
distribution grid and the new constant voltage dynamo
"Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, )
A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundati ...
. Upton was of crucial importance to Edison in the design of Edison's power plant and distribution system put into service at the Pearl Street Station
Pearl Street Station was the first commercial central power plant in the United States. It was located at 255–257 Pearl Street in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City, just south of Fulton Street on a site measuring . The statio ...
in Lower Manhattan on September 4, 1882.
:Like Maxwell with Faraday, Upton was the one who interpreted Edison’s ideas and translated them into mathematical form. What he did was a classical piece of pioneer investigation conducted under extreme difficulties. His work paved the way for more elaborate work of Hopkinson and Knapp.[
In 1890, Upton patented the first electric ]fire alarm
A fire alarm system warns people when smoke, fire, carbon monoxide or other fire-related or general notification emergency, emergencies are detected. These alarms may be activated automatically from smoke detectors and heat detectors or may also ...
and detector along with a Mr. Fernando J. Dibble, an accomplishment of his which is often overlooked, stemming most probably from a typographical error that labels the device a "Portable Electric Tire-Alarm".
Since 1958, the Princeton University has had Francis Upton Graduate Fellowships.
Later life
In 1894 Francis Robbins Upton left Edison's electrical business which he had managed up to his departure. Upton returned after four years. He assisted in the Edison Ore-Milling Company
The Edison Ore-Milling Company was a venture by Thomas Edison that began in 1881. Edison introduced some significant technological developments to the iron ore milling industry but the company ultimately proved to be unprofitable. Towards the end ...
, extracting iron from sand, and the remaining sand Upton sold to concrete manufactures. Upton eventually left the business in 1911 but still continued to sell bricks and concrete.
On February 3, 1918, the Edison Pioneers The Edison Pioneers was an organization composed of former employees of Thomas Edison 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 Ed ...
elected Upton as their first President.
Francis Robbins Upton died in Orange, New Jersey, on March 10, 1921.
References
External links
*
Francis Robbins Upton
from Encyclopedia Britannica
An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articl ...
Libserve
{{DEFAULTSORT:Upton, Francis Robbins
1852 births
1921 deaths
19th-century American mathematicians
20th-century American mathematicians
American inventors
American physicists
Bowdoin College alumni
Edison Pioneers
Phillips Academy alumni
Princeton University alumni
Upton family