Charles Batchelor
Charles Batchelor (1845-1910)
'Thomas Edison’s “right hand man” during much of Edison’s long and prolific career.'
'While Edison basked in the spotlight of fame, the self-effacing Batchelor made his contributions behind the scenes.' [1]
Born on 25 December 1845. Died 1 January 1910.
Father: James Drew Batchelor, born Horsham. Mother: Emma Ireland [2]
'Charles Batchelor (1845-1910) was born in Dalston, a suburb of London, England. He grew up in Manchester and received his early training in textile mills. He first came to the United States in 1865 to exhibit a textile machine. After returning to Manchester, he was employed by the J. P. Coates Co., thread manufacturers. In 1870 the company sent him to install machinery in the Clark thread mills in Newark, NJ. By the end of October 1870 Batchelor had obtained employment in Edison's American Telegraph Works. Later he worked for Edison and Unger and then for Edison and Murray in the Ward St. shop. By the summer of 1873 Batchelor was assisting Edison in his experiments and he later became Edison's most trusted assistant at the Menlo Park and West Orange, N.J., laboratories. Welch 1972.'[3]
Batchelor met Thomas Edison while working in Newark, New Jersey, installing equipment at the Clark Sewing Thread Mills.[4]. Note: 'J. P. Coates' was probably J. and P. Coats of Paisley.
1874 Elected IEE.
Batchelor was manager of the Edison electric light interests in France (1881-1884) and manager of the Edison Machine Works (1884-1888).
1891 of New York City, U.S.A.
See here for an online archive of high resolution images of Batchelor's loose papers, including letters and diaries. These include 'a memoir by Batchelor, written about 1905, concerning Edison's early work on incandescent lighting during the fall of 1878; and agreements by Edison for rights to his electric pen, phonograph, and telephone, along with additional agreements concerning royalties owed to Batchelor for his assistance in developing these inventions.'[5]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ [1] Engineering and Technology Wiki - Charles Batchelor
- ↑ [2] Find a Grave website
- ↑ [3] Project MUSE: 10 The Ascendancy of Manufacturing: July–December 1872. Published by Jenkins, Reese V. The Papers of Thomas A. Edison: The Making of an Inventor, February 1847-June 1873. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989.(Docs. 264–279)
- ↑ [4] New Jersey Digital Highway - 'Thomas Edison on Trial'. Contains court transcripts highlighting the involvement of Batchelor and others in Edison's inventions
- ↑ [5] Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University: [MB13-F] Charles Batchelor Collection (1890-1905) Special Collections Series - Charles Batchelor Collection - Unbound Documents