born March 9, 1856, Washington, Pa., U.S.
died July 6, 1931, New York, N.Y.
U.S. inventor.
He helped develop the incandescent lamp and in 1881 installed the first electric lights for abrasive material {{link=Carborundum">Carborundum . He later found that the silicon vaporizes from Carborundum at 7,500 kF (4,150 kC), leaving graphitic carbon, and patented his graphite -making process in 1896.