An impressive record of the scientific and business aspects of George Westinghouse's career.

Publisher Comments

Category: Biographies & Memoirs This title is part of the Business Histories list.

This penetrating biography of George Westinghouse is a testimony to one of the greatest inventors of the last half of the nineteenth century and the first part of the twentieth century. He was a prolific inventor, filing for 400 patents in 48 years. What is most significant is that he was primarily interested in fundamental things that would advance civilization, particularly the evolution of transportation and the manufacture of power. His contributions to the field of transportation included the air brake, power signaling and switching, and the friction draft gear. In the field of energy, he developed the use of alternating current for the transmission and employment of electrical energy. He was the founder of Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company.

From the back cover blurb:

The biographer amply describes the essence of George Westinghouse: "The life lived by George Westinghouse was history; not a history of wars and politics, but of something greater." In the last part of the nineteenth century and the first part of the twentieth century, Westinghouse was concerned with the fundamental things that advanced civilization. He was instrumental in carrying forward the evolution of transportation and the manufacture of power. In the field of transportation, his important work included the air brake, power signaling and switching, and the friction draft gear. In the field of the manufacture of power, he developed the use of alternating current for the transmission and employment of electrical energy. The whole structure of the electric art as applied to lighting, industry, and transportation stands on the alternating current premise. He started dozens of companies worldwide, including Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co.

From Book News
In the last part of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century, George Westinghouse made pioneering advances in transportation and the manufacture of power, with his work on the air brake, power signaling and switching, the friction draft gear, and the use of alternating current for the transmission and employment of electrical energy. This biography details his work and its impact and examines his involvement in industry. This reprint is identical to the original book published in 1921. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

From The Times (London), Literary Supplement, July 6, 1922 P. 446
Lays emphasis on the scientific and business aspects of Westinghouse's career. These are told understandingly and interestingly but without pretension to literary style.

From the New York Times, March 26, 1922, p. 7
Colonel Prout is no thick-and-thin eulogist and, therefore, his discreet record of what Westinghouse actually achieved is all the more impressive. Furthermore, the book is well-written: its style is vivid and vivacious.

Henry G. Prout wrote this book "for a committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers," whose chairman was Charles A. Terry. Both Prout and Terry were associates of Westinghouse. 

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