Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
THOMSON-HOUSTON SYSTEM
THOMSON-HOUSTON SYSTEM. In the late 1870s Professors Elihu Thomson and Edwin Houston began experimenting with and patenting improvements on existing arc lamp and dynamo designs. In 1880 after being approached by a group of businessmen from New Britain, Connecticut, Thomson & Houston agreed to the formation of a company that would engage in the commercial manufacture of lighting systems (both arc and incandescent) based on their own patents. This was the American Electric Company which existed until 1883 when it was reorganized and renamed the Thomson-Houston Electric Company.
The Thomson-Houston Company was successful and grew to compete with the older Brush and Edison companies. In 1889 in an attempt to avoid patent disputes over a double-carbon arc lamp design, Thomson-Houston negotiated the purchase of a controlling interest in the Brush company. The Swan Incandescent Light Company was part of the Brush plant so it was included in the takeover. Swan manufactured an incandescent system that had been developed at about the same time as Edison’s. In 1892 Thomson-Houston merged with the Edison companies to form the giant General Electric Company.
---
Source:
Museum of Electricity. Online: http://electricmuseum.com/?p=518
