Peter Cooper-Hewitt

Peter Cooper Hewitt ( born May 5, 1861 in New York City; † August 25, 1921 in Paris) was an American electrical engineer. He became known as the inventor of the mercury vapor lamp and mercury vapor rectifier.

Life

Hewitt was born on 5 May 1861, son of New York Mayor Abram Hewitt and Sarah Amelia Cooper, daughter of industrialist Peter Cooper in New York. He was educated at Stevens Institute of Technology and Columbia University School of Mines (now the Engineering and Applied Sciences).

He was then a long time professor and director of Columbia University (NY ). Friendly Mihajlo Pupin he was with. In 1887 he married Alice or Lucy Bond Work, the daughter of Frank H. Work ( 1819-1911 ) and sister of Frances Ellen Work, of which he was divorced again.

Hewitt experimented with the invented in 1892 by Leo Arons mercury vapor lamp, invented in 1901 and one that emits blue-green light (U.S. patent 889.692 ). This lamp is used in photography because of their high efficiency. The light color played at the former Black and white photography is no special role.

However, the mercury vapor lamp was operated with direct current. To make them usable for the upcoming AC, he knew the evacuated glass tube with two anodes and a cathode formed of mercury to be provided. The cathode he connected with the center of the transformer winding. In this circuit, the arc jump at each half- shaft to the other anode. He recognized the rectifier effect of his lamp and acquired several patents to his mercury vapor rectifier. Later he also built the still provided with three anodes rectifier, with the rectification of AC was possible. Later, the glass tubes have been replaced by iron.

In 1902 he founded with the financial support of George Westinghouse Cooper Hewitt, the Electric Company. In addition, he led a railway company and commanded a part of the copper trade.

Around 1907 he experimented with hydrofoils ( Hydroplan ) and helicopters, to then turn back to automobiles.

In 1916, during the First World War, he worked for Elmer Ambrose Sperry on unmanned aircraft Hewitt - Sperry Automatic Airplane.

In 1918 he married Pedar ( in other sources also: Maryon Andrews ) Bruguiere.

In 1919 General Electric his company and moved it from 220 West 29th St in Manhattan to Grand St. in Hoboken (New Jersey). 1934 Edmund Germer built a high-pressure version.

In 1920 he was awarded three U.S. patents to his helicopter and designed with Francis B. Crocker a working copy.

He died at the American Hospital in Paris and was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.