James Nobel Landis (August 15, 1899 – April 29, 1989) was an American power engineer, at the Brooklyn Edison Company, and later the

Bechtel Corporation Bechtel Corporation () is an American engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company founded in San Francisco, California, and headquartered in Reston, Virginia. , the ''Engineering News-Record'' ranked Bechtel as the sec ...

. He is known as a founding member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...

, and as president of the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

in the year 1958-59.

Biography

Youth, education and early career

Landis was born in

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

, received his B.S. in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

(1922), and after graduating began employment at the Brooklyn Edison Company as a mechanical engineer. From 1929 to 1932, he administered the civil, structural, and mechanical engineering of all Brooklyn Edison generating stations, which at that time included the world's largest generating plant. In 1932 he was put in charge of all civil, structural, and mechanical design for the company, and when it combined with Metropolitan Electric Utilities to form

Consolidated Edison Consolidated Edison, Inc., commonly known as Con Edison (stylized as conEdison) or ConEd, is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States, with approximately $12 billion in annual revenues as of 2017, and over $62 b ...

, he carried over these duties plus those for electrical crafting of all power installations in the combined system. Under his direction, the company converted from older

direct current Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or even ...

and 25-cycle

alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...

to the modern American 60-cycle alternating current, and adopted high-pressure steam

turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating e ...

Later career

In 1948 Landis joined the

as chief power engineer, and in 1951 when Bechtel and several utility companies created a preliminary power plant design, Landis was a key participant. In 1953 he became a vice-president of Bechtel.Charles M. Vest.
Mechanical Engineering at Michigan, 1868-1968
'' 1968. p. 77-90 In 1955 construction began on a Commonwealth Edison plant with

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

reactor and Bechtel supplying the remainder of the installation. Landis retired from active management in 1964 but continued consulting until 1974. Landis was active in professional societies, published a number of papers, and received honors including the

's James N. Landis Medal (1977), named in his honor;''Awards, Honors, and Prizes,'' Gale Research Company, Vol. 1, Part. 1, 2009. p. 164 and the

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...

's Newcomen Medal (1978).

References

External links

James N. Landis Medal
ASME {{DEFAULTSORT:Landis, James Nobel 1989 deaths 1899 births Engineers from Illinois University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni People from Champaign, Illinois Presidents of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Founding members of the United States National Academy of Engineering 20th-century American engineers