Charles Hesterman Merz
Charles Hesterman Merz (5 October 1874 – 14 or 15 October 1940) was a British electrical engineer who pioneered the use of high-voltage three-phase AC power distribution in the United Kingdom, building a system in the North East of England in the early 20th century that became the model for the country's National Grid.
"Charles Merz" redirects here. For the American racecar driver, see Charlie Merz.Early life[edit]
Merz was the eldest son of industrial chemist John Theodore Merz (a Quaker from Germany) and Alice Mary Richardson, a sister of John Wigham Richardson the Tyneside ship builder.[1] He was born in Gateshead[2] and attended Bootham School,[3][4] York. He attended Armstrong College in Newcastle, where his father was a part-time lecturer.[1]
Legacy[edit]
The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Cambridge manages a Charles Hesterman Merz Fund.
The Newcastle University campus includes a building named Merz Court[15] which was opened in 1965.[16] The building houses electrical, electronic and chemical engineering facilities.
A commemorative plaque was unveiled at his former home in Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne in 2013.[17]