Charles Proteus Steinmetz
Charles Proteus Steinmetz (born Karl August Rudolph Steinmetz; April 9, 1865 – October 26, 1923) was an American mathematician and electrical engineer and professor at Union College. He fostered the development of alternating current that made possible the expansion of the electric power industry in the United States, formulating mathematical theories for engineers. He made ground-breaking discoveries in the understanding of hysteresis that enabled engineers to design better electromagnetic apparatus equipment, especially electric motors for use in industry.[1][2][a]
Charles Proteus Steinmetz
October 26, 1923 (aged 58)
American
University of Breslau
Union College (doctorate)
- Steinmetz curve
- Steinmetz's equation
- Steinmetz equivalent circuit
- Steinmetz solid
- Alternating current
- Electric power industry
- Hysteresis
- Mechanicville Hydroelectric Plant
- Metal-halide lamp
- Network synthesis filters
- Passive analogue filter development
- Phasor measurement unit
- Transmission line
- Wireless power
- Engineering education
Elliott Cresson Medal (1913)
Cedergren Medal (1914)
At the time of his death, Steinmetz held over 200 patents.[3] A genius in both mathematics and electronics, he did work that earned him the nicknames "Forger of Thunderbolts"[4] and "The Wizard of Schenectady".[5] Steinmetz's equation,[6] Steinmetz solids, Steinmetz curves, and Steinmetz equivalent circuit[7] are all named after him, as are numerous honors and scholarships, including the IEEE Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award, one of the highest technical recognitions given by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers professional society.
Political persecution and emigration[edit]
As socialist meetings and press had been banned in Germany, Steinmetz fled to Zürich in 1889 to escape possible arrest. Cornell University Professor Ronald R. Kline, author of Steinmetz: Engineer and Socialist,[14] points to other factors which reinforced Steinmetz's decision to leave his homeland such as financial problems and the prospect of a more harmonious life with his socialist friends and supporters than the stressful domestic circumstances of his father's household.[14]: 16–17
Faced with an expiring visa, he emigrated to the United States in 1889. He changed his first name to "Charles" to sound more American, and chose the middle name "Proteus", a wise hunchbacked character from the Odyssey who knew many secrets, after a epithet bestowed upon him by his college fraternity brothers.[15]
Political activism in the USA[edit]
Steinmetz was politically active in the US as a technocratic socialist for over thirty years. Following the Bolshevik introduction of a technocratic plan to electrify Russia, Steinmetz spoke of Lenin alongside Albert Einstein as the "two greatest minds of our time."[14]: 253
He believed in a corporatist industrial government also covering its human wellfare function.[14]: 230
A member of the original Technical Alliance, which also included Thorstein Veblen and Leland Olds, Steinmetz had great faith in the ability of machines to eliminate human toil and create abundance for all. He put it this way: "Some day we [will] make the good things of life for everybody."
Steinmetz acted in the following professional capacities:
He was granted an honorary degree from Harvard University in 1901[21] and a doctorate from Union College in 1903.[21]
Steinmetz wrote 13 books and 60 articles, not exclusively about engineering. He was a member and adviser to the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta at Union College, whose chapter house was one of the first electrified residences.[23]
While serving as president of the Schenectady Board of Education, Steinmetz introduced numerous progressive reforms, including extended school hours, school meals, school nurses, special classes for the children of immigrants, and the distribution of free textbooks.[15]
In popular culture[edit]
Steinmetz is featured in John Dos Passos' U.S.A. trilogy in one of the biographies.[44][45] He also serves as a major character in Starling Lawrence's The Lightning Keeper.[46]
Steinmetz is a major character in the novel Electric City by Elizabeth Rosner.
In the 1944 Three Stooges short "Busy Buddies", Moe Howard references Steinmetz.[47]
Steinmetz was portrayed in 1959 by the actor Rod Steiger in the CBS television anthology series, The Joseph Cotten Show. The episode focused on his socialist activities in Germany.
A famous anecdote about Steinmetz concerns a troubleshooting consultation at Henry Ford's River Rouge Plant. A humorous aspect of the story is the "itemized bill" he submitted for the work performed.[15]