George Westinghouse

George Westinghouse
Westinghouse in 1884
Born	(1846-10-06)October 6, 1846 Central Bridge, New York, U.S.
Died	March 12, 1914(1914-03-12) (aged 67) New York City, U.S.
Known for	Founder of the original Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Spouse	Marguerite Erskine Walker ​ ​ (m. 1867)​
Children	1
Awards	John Fritz Medal (1906) IEEE Edison Medal (1911)
Signature

George Westinghouse Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was an American entrepreneur and engineer based in Pennsylvania who created the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry, receiving his first patent at the age of 19. Westinghouse saw the potential of using alternating current for electric power distribution in the early 1880s and put all his resources into developing and marketing it. This put Westinghouse's business in direct competition with Thomas Edison, who marketed direct current for electric power distribution. In 1911 Westinghouse received the American Institute of Electrical Engineers's (AIEE) Edison Medal "For meritorious achievement in connection with the development of the alternating current system".^[1] He founded the Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1886.^[2]