"Granville-Tailer-Woods"(April 23,1856-January 30,1910)

Was a prominent inventor and electrical engineer who developed over 50 significant patents over the course of his life.Because of significant electrical inventions he is known as the "Black Edison."


He was born in Columbus Ohio.Granville attended school until he was 10 and then,as was typical of the era,he left school to start work.Employed in a mechanic's shop,he developed a fascination with railroad equipment.Granville,and avid reader and astute learner,began to focus all his spare time and attention to mastering electrical engineering.At age 20 he enrolled in a technical college and trained for two years in electrical and mechanical engineering.After graduation,with no prominent jobs prospects in Ohio,he worked as an engineer on a British steamer which allowed him to travel the globe.He  eventually settled in Cincinatti,Ohio where he formed the Woods Electric Company.His decision to become an independent entrepreneur stemmed in part because of his difficulty in finding work.


By 1887 Granville developed the first of his inventions,the synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph which allowed communication between moving trains and train depots.One year later he developed a system for overhead electric conducting which helped power locomotives.In 1889 he filled his first patent for an improved steam-boiler furnace.


Granville competed with more prominent inventors of the era including Thomas Edison who claimed invention of the multiplex telegraph and filed a lawsuit to support his claim.Granville won the legal challenge prompting Edison to offer him a prominent postion in the engineering department of Edison Electric Light Company in New York.Granville declined the offer,preferring to maintain control over his inventions.


He died in Cincinnati.Over the course of his lifetime he held over 35 patents including a dozen for inventions which made electrical railways safer and more efficient.