Harold P. Brown
Encyclopedia
Harold Pitney Brown was the American credited with building the original electric chair
based on the design by Dr. Alfred P. Southwick. He was hired by Thomas Edison
to help develop the chair after he wrote an editorial to the New York Post
describing how a young boy was killed after accidentally touching an exposed telegraph wire using alternating current
. He was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal of the Franklin Institute
in 1899.
. However, the ambitious Brown aspired to be more than a salesman. Edison was his role model. Still, with little formal training in the field of science or invention, Brown failed in securing several patents of his own.
His golden opportunity came during the hey-day of the War of Currents
between alternating current
(AC) and direct current
(DC). Brown would side with Edison and DC and staked his career on proving that AC was more deadly than DC and thus should not be used as the current of choice for powering electrical devices in homes.
system was competing
with the Westinghouse electrical company, which used alternating current. Since Brown's work at the Brush Electric Company depended on DC, he became a leading critic of AC. In a June 1888 letter to the editor of the New York Post, Brown made his views loud and clear:.
A few years prior to Brown's article, New York State in 1886 established a committee to determine a new, more humane system of execution to replace hanging
. Neither Edison nor Westinghouse wanted their electrical system to be chosen because they feared that consumers would not want the same type of electricity used to kill criminals in their homes. With Brown increasingly spearheading the claims about the dangers of AC, he also thought the claims could be used as cudgel against accepting the economic advantages of using AC for common consumption.
In order to prove that AC electricity was better for executions, Brown and Edison killed many animals, including a circus elephant
(Topsy), while testing their prototypes. They also held executions of animals for the press in order to ensure that AC current was associated with electrocution. It was at these events that the term electrocution
was coined. Most of their experiments were conducted at Edison's West Orange, New Jersey
laboratory in 1888.
Though the campaign to discredit the alternating current system failed, the AC electric chair was adopted by the committee in 1889.
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
based on the design by Dr. Alfred P. Southwick. He was hired by Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
to help develop the chair after he wrote an editorial to the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
describing how a young boy was killed after accidentally touching an exposed telegraph wire using alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
. He was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal of the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
in 1899.
Early career
Prior to working with Edison, Brown labored as a salesperson for the Western Electric Company and the Brush Electric Company, selling electrical devices, most notably Edison’s electric penElectric pen
Thomas Edison's electric pen, part of a complete outfit for duplicating handwritten documents and drawings, was the first relatively safe electric motor driven office appliance produced and sold in the United States.- Development :...
. However, the ambitious Brown aspired to be more than a salesman. Edison was his role model. Still, with little formal training in the field of science or invention, Brown failed in securing several patents of his own.
His golden opportunity came during the hey-day of the War of Currents
War of Currents
In the "War of Currents" era in the late 1880s, George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison became adversaries due to Edison's promotion of direct current for electric power distribution over alternating current advocated by several European companies and Westinghouse Electric based out of Pittsburgh,...
between alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
(AC) and direct current
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
(DC). Brown would side with Edison and DC and staked his career on proving that AC was more deadly than DC and thus should not be used as the current of choice for powering electrical devices in homes.
Experiments
As Brown was beginning his career as a salesman, Edison and his direct currentDirect current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
system was competing
War of Currents
In the "War of Currents" era in the late 1880s, George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison became adversaries due to Edison's promotion of direct current for electric power distribution over alternating current advocated by several European companies and Westinghouse Electric based out of Pittsburgh,...
with the Westinghouse electrical company, which used alternating current. Since Brown's work at the Brush Electric Company depended on DC, he became a leading critic of AC. In a June 1888 letter to the editor of the New York Post, Brown made his views loud and clear:.
The only excuse for the use of the fatal alternating current is that it saves the company operating it [AC] from spending a larger sum of money for the heavier copper wires which are required by the safe incandescent systems. That is, the public must submit to constant danger from sudden death, in order that a corporation may pay a little larger dividend.
A few years prior to Brown's article, New York State in 1886 established a committee to determine a new, more humane system of execution to replace hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. Neither Edison nor Westinghouse wanted their electrical system to be chosen because they feared that consumers would not want the same type of electricity used to kill criminals in their homes. With Brown increasingly spearheading the claims about the dangers of AC, he also thought the claims could be used as cudgel against accepting the economic advantages of using AC for common consumption.
In order to prove that AC electricity was better for executions, Brown and Edison killed many animals, including a circus elephant
Topsy the Elephant
Topsy , was a circus elephant killed by electrocution on January 4, 1903.-Life:Topsy belonged to the Forepaugh Circus and spent the last years of her life at Coney Island's Luna Park...
(Topsy), while testing their prototypes. They also held executions of animals for the press in order to ensure that AC current was associated with electrocution. It was at these events that the term electrocution
Electric shock
Electric Shock of a body with any source of electricity that causes a sufficient current through the skin, muscles or hair. Typically, the expression is used to denote an unwanted exposure to electricity, hence the effects are considered undesirable....
was coined. Most of their experiments were conducted at Edison's West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a township in central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 46,207...
laboratory in 1888.
Though the campaign to discredit the alternating current system failed, the AC electric chair was adopted by the committee in 1889.