Théodore Turrettini
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Théodore Turrettini (1845–1916) was a
Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...
engineer and politician.


Life

Théodore Turrettini was trained as an engineer at the Polytechnic School of Lausanne, where he graduated in 1867. He then left Switzerland to train in a workshop in Frankfurt, and at the
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...
& Halske factory in Berlin. He later spent a short while in Paris. Back to Geneva in 1870, he became director of the "Society of Physical Instruments", a position he would keep until his death. His duties included the development of precision instruments, of machines and of drills for the St.Gothard tunnel. He also attempted to collaborate with
Raoul Pictet Raoul-Pierre Pictet (4 April 1846 – 27 July 1929) was a Swiss physicist. Pictet is co-credited with French scientist Louis-Paul Cailletet as the first to produce liquid oxygen in 1877. Biography Pictet was born in Geneva. He served as profe ...
in order to develop machines for producing cold. After a two-month internship at Thomas Edison's workshop in New York, he even launched himself into electric lighting. Turrettini's main achievement was the creation of hydroelectric power stations in Geneva, which were the most powerful of the time. Turrettini was elected an International Member of the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
. In 1891, Turrettini became a member of the International Niagara Commission.


References


Sources

* Paquier, Serge, "Turrettini, Théodore", in ''Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse'' (in French). 1845 births 1916 deaths Swiss engineers International members of the American Philosophical Society {{Switzerland-engineer-stub