Westinghouse, George. Inventor and manufacturer. Born in New York in 1846. Educated in public and high schools. Westinghouse spent much time in his father's machine shop, inventing, at 15, a rotary engine. Served in Union Army, 1863-64. Assistant engineer in United States Navy, 1864-65. Attended Union College to sophomore year (Ph.D., 1890). Invented a device for replacing railroad cars on the track in 1865; invented and successfully introduced the Westinghouse air brake in 1868, which he later greatly improved. Also made other inventions in railway signals, steam and gas engines, steam turbines, and electric machinery. George Westinghouse was a pioneer, against great opposition, in introducing alternating current machinery in America, which rendered possible the great development of water power for long distance electrical transmission. Built the great generators at Niagara Falls and those for elevated railway and rapid transit system in New York. Established large works in United States, Canada, England, France, Germany, Russia, Austria, and Italy for manufacturing air brakes, electrical and steam machinery. Was president of numerous corporations, employing about 50,000 men, and with a capitalization of about $200,000,000. His inventions of the air brake and of automatic railway signals have been largely instrumental in the possibility and safety of modern high speed railroading. Westinghouse died in 1914.

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