An industrialist for the ages.

• Author: Reis, Edward J.
• Position: USA Yesterday

ALTHOUGH HE passed away almost a century ago, we still can learn today from America's greatest industrialist, the incomparable George Westinghouse (1846-1914). He should be an ideal role model for modem corporations--perhaps one that can be employed to overcome the greed and money mania that, in many cases, appear to be what motivates many of the highest level executives today. Westinghouse had 361 patents granted to him during his lifetime, and he acquired, or started, 60 different companies. Newspaper and magazine articles of the late 1800s and early 1900s quite often used the phrase "America's greatest living engineer" to describe him.

The Westinghouse air brake and friction draft gear had a tremendous impact on the early days of railroading. Moreover, three 5,000-horsepower Westinghouse generators that were installed in 1895 harnessed the awesome power of Niagara Falls. After this dramatic accomplishment, the country and the world were electrified, using alternating current (AC). In fact, for a while, it even was referred to as the "Westinghouse current."

The development of natural gas as a new fuel also was pushed forward by Westinghouse. He had 36 patents granted to him in the two years following the drilling of his first gas well, which was in the backyard of his home, Solitude, in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh, Pa. (Homewood was a fancy residential area and condiment king Henry Heinz lived right across the street.) At one point, Westinghouse had four gas wells, an alternating current power plant, and a set of street railway tracks in his backyard. The tracks were for testing and experimenting with various pieces of equipment and other apparatus for railway systems.

Westinghouse's work on the house geared steam turbine engine revolutionized the shipping industry. He had an interest in ship engines ever since serving as an officer in the Union Navy during the Civil War. Coupling a high-speed turbine with a ship's low-speed propeller turned out to be a most difficult challenge that finally was overcome with an ingenious bit of engineering referred to as "Westinghouse reduction gears." Later in life, he invented what he called an air spring to soften the ride on the newfangled machines called automobiles. He even started a business--the Westinghouse Automotive Air Spring Company--to manufacture and sell the new devices, which ultimately evolved into the shock absorbers we still use today.

Although he became a wealthy man, it is...