The Thomson-Houston Electric Company was a manufacturing company which was one of the precursors of the General Electric Company.

The Thomson-Houston Electric Company was formed in 1883 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 when a group of Lynn, Massachusetts

Lynn, Massachusetts

Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...

 investors led by Charles A. Coffin

Charles A. Coffin

Charles Albert Coffin was the cofounder and first President of General Electric corporation. He was born in Somerset, Massachusetts to Albert Coffin and his wife Anstrus Varney. He married Caroline Russell of Holbrook, Massachusetts and had three children.He moved to join his uncle Charles E...

 bought out Elihu Thomson

Elihu Thomson

Elihu Thomson was an American engineer and inventor who was instrumental in the founding of major electrical companies in the United States, the United Kingdom and France.-Early life:...

 and Edwin Houston's American Electric Company from their New Britain, Connecticut

New Britain, Connecticut

New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately 9 miles southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 71,254....

 investors. At that time the company moved its operations to a new building on Western Ave. in Lynn, Massachusetts

Lynn, Massachusetts

Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...

, because many of the investors were shoe manufacturers from Lynn .

Charles A. Coffin

Charles A. Coffin

Charles Albert Coffin was the cofounder and first President of General Electric corporation. He was born in Somerset, Massachusetts to Albert Coffin and his wife Anstrus Varney. He married Caroline Russell of Holbrook, Massachusetts and had three children.He moved to join his uncle Charles E...

 led the company and organized its finances, marketing and sales operations. Elwin W. Rice organized the manufacturing facilities, and Elihu Thomson

Elihu Thomson

Elihu Thomson was an American engineer and inventor who was instrumental in the founding of major electrical companies in the United States, the United Kingdom and France.-Early life:...

 ran the Model Room which was a precursor to the industrial research lab. With their leadership the company grew into an enterprise of $10 million in sales and 4000 employee by 1892.

In 1884 Thomson-Houston International Company was organized to promote international sales.

In 1889 Thomson-Houston bought out the Brush Company (founded by Charles F. Brush

Charles F. Brush

Charles Francis Brush was a U.S. inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist.-Biography:Born in Euclid Township, Ohio, Brush was raised on a farm about 10 miles from downtown Cleveland...

) which resolved the arc lamp

Arc lamp

"Arc lamp" or "arc light" is the general term for a class of lamps that produce light by an electric arc . The lamp consists of two electrodes, first made from carbon but typically made today of tungsten, which are separated by a gas...

 and dynamo

Dynamo

- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...

 patent disputes between them.

Thomson-Houston later merged with the Edison General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York

Schenectady, New York

Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...

, to form the General Electric

General Electric

General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...

 Company in 1892, with plants in Lynn and Schenectady, both of which remain to this day as the two original GE factories.

British Thomson-Houston

British Thomson-Houston

British Thomson-Houston

British Thomson-Houston was a British engineering and heavy industrial company, based at Rugby, Warwickshire, England. They were known primarily for their electrical systems and steam turbines. They were merged with the similar Metropolitan-Vickers company in 1928, but the two maintained their own...

 (BTH) was created as a subsidiary of (American) General Electric in May 1896. It was previously known as Laing, Wharton and Down which was founded in 1886.
BTH became part of Associated Electrical Industries

Associated Electrical Industries

Associated Electrical Industries was a British holding company formed in 1928 through the merger of the British Thomson-Houston Company and Metropolitan-Vickers electrical engineering companies...

 (AEI) in 1928, which saw BTH merged with its rival Metropolitan-Vickers

Metropolitan-Vickers

Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, they were particularly well known for their industrial electrical equipment such as generators, steam...

.
This deal made AEI the largest military contractor of the British Empire during the '30s and the '40s, so during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

AEI would itself be acquired by the General Electric Company plc or GEC in 1967. GEC demerged its defense businesses in 1999 to become Marconi plc and Marconi Corporation plc, now Telent plc

Telent plc

Telent Limited is a radio, telecommunication, and internet systems installation & services provision company. The company was formed in 2006 from the UK and German services businesses of Marconi Corporation which had not been acquired by Ericsson.- History :The company was formed in January 2006...

.

Compagnie Francaise Thomson-Houston

In 1893, the Compagnie Francaise Thomson-Houston (CFTH) was formed in Paris, a sister company to GE in the United States. It is from this company that the modern Thomson Group

Thomson SA

Technicolor SA , formerly Thomson SA and Thomson Multimedia, is a French international provider of solutions for the creation, management, post-production, delivery and access of video, for the Communication, Media and Entertainment industries. Technicolor’s headquarters are located in Issy les...

 would evolve; demerged in 1999 to form Thomson Multimedia

Thomson SA

Technicolor SA , formerly Thomson SA and Thomson Multimedia, is a French international provider of solutions for the creation, management, post-production, delivery and access of video, for the Communication, Media and Entertainment industries. Technicolor’s headquarters are located in Issy les...

 and Thomson-CSF

Thomson-CSF

Thomson-CSF was a major electronics and defence contractor. In December 2000 it was renamed Thales Group.-History:In 1879 Elihu Thomson and Edwin Houston formed the Thomson-Houston Electric Company in the United States....

 (now Thales Group

Thales Group

The Thales Group is a French electronics company delivering information systems and services for the aerospace, defense, transportation and security markets...

).