Early life and education
He was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. In 1855, he graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.Career
Earlier in his career, he was draftsman, construction engineer, and manager for various railroad manufacturers. He designed and oversaw construction of more than 100 locomotives. In 1869 he purchased a controlling interest in a company that manufactured fire-extinguishing apparatus. Grinnell licensed a sprinkler device patented by Henry S. Parmalee, then worked to improve the invention, and in 1881 patented the automatic sprinkler that bears his name. He continued to improve the device and in 1890 invented the glass disc sprinkler, essentially the same as that in use today. Such sprinklers are called ''le Grinnell'' in France. He secured some 40 distinct patents for improvements on his sprinklers and invented a dry pipe valve and automatic fire-alarm system as well.General Fire Extinguisher Co.
In 1892, Grinnell organized the General Fire Extinguisher Co. in Providence, R.I., an amalgamation of several smaller companies, which became the foremost organization in its field of manufacture. Grinnell died in 1905 in his home town of New Bedford. In 1919, General Fire Extinguisher Co. was renamed Grinnell Co. In 1969, Grinnell Co. was purchased by ITT (International Telephone & Telegraph) and became ITT Grinnell. A few years later, ITT Grinnell sold its US industrial activities toReferences
1836 births 1905 deaths American engineers Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni {{US-engineer-stub