William Symes Andrews
William Symes Andrews | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 10, 1847 |
| Died | July 1, 1929 (aged 81) |
William Symes Andrews (September 10, 1847 – July 1, 1929) was an Edison Pioneer, electrical engineer, and one of the first employees of the General Electric Company.[1]
Biography
Andrews was born in Saltford, England on Sept. 10, 1847, the son of Bailey and Selina (Chesterton) Andrews. He started working at Edison's Menlo Park in Nov 1879.[2] He died on July 1, 1929, in Schenectady, New York.[1]
W.S. Andrews was made superintendent of Thomas Edison's Machine Works in NY in October 1881, becoming the chief electrical engineer of their central station construction company in June 1883. He was one of Edison's closest confidants and friends.
He later joined the General Electric Company in Schenectady NY in 1894 after Edison had sold his stake in Edison General Electric to Elihu Thomson's Thomson/Houston, and became involved in X-ray testing. He often experimented on himself (left hand and upper face), and later became a victim of the radiation dangers that were not known at the time. Andrews can be seen in many photos with Thomas Edison and his fellow Edison Pioneers, and was very well respected by his friends and co-workers.
References
- ^ a b "W.S. Andrews Dies. An Edison Pioneer. Golden Jubilee Year of Inventor Marks His Fiftieth Anniversary Year Too. Victim of X-Ray Research. Oldest Employs of General ElectricCo. Built Thirty Generating Stations for Edison. Born in England. Takes Out X-ray patents". New York Times. 2 July 1929. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
William Symes Andrews, Edison pioneer, electrical engineer and oldest employee of the General Electric Company, died at his home, 1,018 Park Avenue, Schenectady, New York, at 3 P.M. yesterday. He was in his eighty-second year.
- ^ Robert John Weber, David N. Perkins, Inventive Minds: Creativity in Technology, Oxford University Press - 1992
External links
- Symes' letters to Edison and others at The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition