Are you confused about George Westinghouse and his legacy. There were two George Westinghouse that made significant footprints within the Mohawk Towpath Byway corridor and world history.

George Westinghouse, Senior (1809 to 1884) of Central Bridge, New York improved and patented the threshing farm machine in 1836.  In 1856 he moved his family and farm machinery business to Schenectady. Here he had better supply and shipping opportunities along the Erie Canal.

George Westinghouse, Junior (1846 to 1914) patented a rotary steam engine at age 19.  He went on to invent the famous railway air break at age 22. This was patented in 1873. An electrical engineer, he was an early developer of alternating current (AC). This put him in competition with Thomas Edison’s work in direct current (DC) at what became General Electric.  George Westinghouse, Jr relocated to Pennsylvania in the 1880s for access to steel and to continue his business interests. _{(This image at right is from Wikipedia entitled Westinghouse in 1884).}

To gain an interesting insight why we use DC in our vehicles and AC in our homes see a Wikipedia article on The War of Currents.

Many thanks to Nancy Papish for her research to straighten out the confusion between father and son.