Lloyd Espenschied (April 27, 1889 – June 21, 1986) was an American

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 ...

who invented the modern

coaxial cable Coaxial cable, or coax (pronounced ) is a type of electrical cable consisting of an inner conductor surrounded by a concentric conducting shield, with the two separated by a dielectric ( insulating material); many coaxial cables also have a p ...

with

Herman Andrew Affel Herman Andrew Affel (August 4, 1893 – October 13, 1972) was an American electrical engineer who invented the modern coaxial cable. Biography He was born on August 4, 1893. He attended MIT. He later married Bertha May Plummer. From MIT he we ...

Early life and education

Lloyd Espenschied was born in Baden, North

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, on April 27, 1889, the son of Frederick F. Espenschied (January 3, 1856 – July 22, 1908) and Clara M. Espenschied (January 14, 1856 – March 26, 1947). Fred was an 1875 graduate of the St. Louis Law School, which is today part of

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

. He served as private secretary to his brother-in-law, Mayor Henry von Overstolz.Espenschied, Lloyd (January 5, 1962). "Louis Espenschied and His Family". ''Missouri Historical Society Bulletin'' (St. Louis, Missouri). XVIII (2): 87–103. Under Mayor

David R. Francis David Rowland Francis (October 1, 1850January 15, 1927) was an American politician and diplomat. He served in various positions including Mayor of St. Louis, the 27th Governor of Missouri, and United States Secretary of the Interior. He was the ...

, Fred later became

City Treasurer The municipal treasurer is a position of responsibility for a municipality according to the locally prevailing laws. The treasurer of a public agency is elected Espenschied moved to

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

during his childhood. By 1904, he was already exploring

wireless telegraphy Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimental technologies for ...

and became an

amateur radio operator An amateur radio operator is someone who uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other amateur operators on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators hav ...

. He entered the

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...

in 1907, and obtained a certificate of applied engineering. During summers, he worked for the

United Wireless Telegraph Company The United Wireless Telegraph Company was the largest radio communications firm in the United States, from its late-1906 formation until its bankruptcy and takeover by Marconi interests in mid-1912. At the time of its demise, the company was opera ...

Career

Espenschied worked as an engineer for Telefunken Wireless Telegraph Company during 1909–1910. He later worked for the

American Telephone and Telegraph Company AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...

and later

Bell Telephone Laboratories Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984), then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996) and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007), is an American industrial research and scientific development company owned by mul ...

in various capacities from 1910 to 1937. In the 17 years preceding his retirement in 1954, Espenschied was staff research consultant and consulting engineer at Bell Telephone Laboratories. Beginning in 1916, Espenschied worked with

Herman Affel Herman Andrew Affel (August 4, 1893 – October 13, 1972) was an American electrical engineer who invented the modern coaxial cable. Biography He was born on August 4, 1893. He attended MIT. He later married Bertha May Plummer. From MIT he we ...

and other colleagues on a

carrier system A carrier system is a telecommunications system that transmits information, such as the voice signals of a telephone call and the video signals of television, by modulation of one or multiple carrier signals above the principal voice frequency or ...

from Baltimore to Pittsburgh. This work led to Espenschied and Affel creating the first modern

. Their invention paved the way for television transmission. The cable advanced long distance telephone service, making it possible to carry thousands of simultaneous phone calls on long distance circuits. In 1930, he applied for a patent on a device based on a mathematical analysis used by the

radio altimeter Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

invented by

William Littell Everitt William Littell Everitt (April 14, 1900 – September 6, 1986) was a noted American electrical engineer, educator, and founding member of the National Academy of Engineering. He received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 1933. He was ad ...

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

. Espenschied was the holder of more than 100 patents in both wire and radio communication systems.

Personal life and death

In April 1912, Espenschied married another Pratt student, Ethel Fairfield Lovejoy, known as "Lovey". They were married for over 60 years, and had two children. An avid genealogist, Espenschied visited Germany for the purpose of extensive research. While abroad, he was able to ascertain the German background of his family. Returning to St. Louis in 1937–38 to trace his American family pattern, he discovered that the original Louis Espenschied wagon plant created by his grandfather was gone and that the Luedinghaus-Espenschied Wagon Company had been deserted. Espenschied was an

isolationist Isolationism is a political philosophy advocating a national foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality and opposes entangl ...

and opposed American involvement in World War II. When interviewed during the war by a member of the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...

, he stated: "We were led into this mess largely by British propaganda, Jewish propaganda, Roosevelt imperialism." Espenschied died on June 21, 1986, at a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

Holmdel, New Jersey Holmdel Township (usually shortened to Holmdel) is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region, being within the regional and cultural influence of the Raritan Baysh ...

, at the age of 97.Espenschied, Lloyd • 1889–1986. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 81, 1205 (1987); https://doi.org/10.1121/1.394650

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espenschied, Lloyd 1889 births 1986 deaths People from St. Louis American electrical engineers American people of German descent IEEE Medal of Honor recipients Pratt Institute alumni