William Stanley (1858-1916)
William Stanley (1858-1916)
1917 Obituary [1]
WILLIAM STANLEY (Jun.) was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in November 1858.
On leaving college he found employment for a short time with a firm of telegraph instrument manufacturers. He then started a nickel-plating business, but soon disposed of this and became an assistant to Sir Hiram Maxim.
In 1880 he joined the staff of Dr. Edward Weston. Two years later he started a small laboratory of his own in Englewood, N.J., where he carried out experiments on storage batteries and on high-tension transmission of power.
In 1884 he entered into an arrangement with Mr. George Westinghouse which resulted in the formation of the Westinghouse Electric Company. In order to obtain funds to carry out further experiments he subsequently sold the greater part of his shares in the Company and designed and constructed an experimental alternating-current supply plant at his laboratory at Great Barrington, Mass.
In 1886 the Company undertook to manufacture the transformers and generators which he designed, and the first alternating current plant equipped by the Company was started at Buffalo towards the end of that year.
His subsequent inventions included the auto transformer, various types of alternating-current generators and motors, an induction wattmeter, and apparatus for neutralizing induction on telephone lines.
In 1890 the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company was formed at Pittsfield, Mass., which was afterwards absorbed by the General Electric Company.
At the time of his death which took place at Great Barrington, Mass., on the 14th May, 1916, he was connected with the latter Company.
He was elected a Foreign Member of the Institution in 1892 and a Member in 1911.