Eugene Cyril Smith (1857 – 1935) was an English

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

, inventor,

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

and pioneer of

electric light An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the soc ...

ing who invented the quick break light switch, the technology behind which remains the basis for modern wall mounted

light switch In electrical wiring, a light switch is a switch most commonly used to operate electric lights, permanently connected equipment, or electrical outlets. Portable lamps such as table lamps may have a light switch mounted on the socket, base, or i ...

es.

Career

In 1880, Smith attended a public demonstration of Joseph Swan's incandescent light bulb. This seemed to spark his interest in electric lighting, and he approached Swan on multiple occasions in hopes of becoming his apprentice. Eugene Cyril Smith and his brother Theodore, also a

, founded E.C Smith Co. in

Shieldfield Shieldfield is a small district in the east of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is bordered by the City Centre, Heaton, Byker and Sandyford. History The name of the district is considered to be a reference to a shel ...

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

in 1883, their manufacturing company specializing in early

motors An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

dynamo file:DynamoElectricMachinesEndViewPartlySection USP284110.png, "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator (electric), commutator. Dynamos were the f ...

s, switches, and lighting. The company was very active in the early proliferation of electric lighting, having installed Newcastle's first domestic electrical lighting into their father's house, and supplied installations throughout Europe and the

British colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...

, making deals in the United States as well. Eugene Cyril Smith invented the quick break light switch in 1884. which was patented in Great Britain and the United States that year. The technology radically improved the prior switch technology by ensuring the internal contacts moved apart quickly enough to deter the

electric arc An electric arc, or arc discharge, is an electrical breakdown of a gas that produces a prolonged electrical discharge. The electric current, current through a normally Electrical conductance, nonconductive medium such as air produces a plasma (p ...

ing that would create a fire hazard and otherwise invariably shorten the switch's lifespan. The quick break technology invented by Holmes remains in use in billions of domestic and industrial electrical switches across the globe to this day.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, John Henry 1857 births 1935 deaths English inventors English electrical engineers People associated with electricity English Quakers Lighting engineers