William Woodnut Griscom (1851–1897) was an American inventor responsible for introducing electric motors for the purpose of marine propulsion. With some 40 patents to his name, Griscom also founded the

Electro-Dynamic Company The Electro-Dynamic Company manufactured electric motors and generators 1880–2000, principally as a subsidiary of the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics and its predecessors. History The company was founded by electrical inventor Wi ...

in 1880, based in Philadelphia. Much information in regards to Electro-Dynamic Company (and its origins) has not been made altogether clear. In 1892,

Isaac Rice Isaac Leopold Rice (February 22, 1850 – November 2, 1915) was a German-born Jewish American businessman, investor, musicologist, author, and chess patron.

bailed Electro-Dynamic out following a bankruptcy and became a co-owner.Records of the Electric Launch Company
/ref> Two years after Griscom died in an 1897 hunting accident, his company was acquired by Rice's new

Electric Boat Company Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

. He was awarded the

John Scott Medal John Scott Award, created in 1816 as the John Scott Legacy Medal and Premium, is presented to men and women whose inventions improved the "comfort, welfare, and happiness of human kind" in a significant way. "...the John Scott Medal Fund, establish ...

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 ...

in 1882. He is buried at the Church of the Redeemer Cemetery in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr, pronounced , from Welsh language, Welsh for big hill, is a census-designated place (CDP) located across three townships: Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, Radnor Township and Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, Haverford Township in Delaw ...

References

Sources

* Electric Boat Corporation, James S. Reyburn
General Dynamics Electric Boat Division official history siteWilliam Woodnut Griscom at FindaGrave.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griscom, William Woodnut 1851 births 1897 deaths 19th-century American inventors Hunting accident deaths