Burnie Lee Benbow (4 July 1885 – 7 April 1976) was an American engineer and inventor known for his work in

electric lighting Electric light Electric light is an artificial light source powered by electricity. Electric Light may also refer to: * Light fixture, a decorative enclosure for an electric light source * Electric Light (album), ''Electric Light'' (album), a 201 ...

. He served for many years as the manager of the Cleveland Wire Works at

GE Lighting GE Lighting is a division of Savant Systems, Savant Systems Inc. headquartered in Nela Park, East Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The company traces its origins to Thomas Edison's work on lighting in the 19th century. History In 1911, General Elec ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, where his innovations contributed to significant advancements in lighting efficiency and performance.

Early life and education

Benbow was born in the United States on 4 July 1885. He attended

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1908. His formal education laid the foundation for a career that merged technical innovation with industrial management.

Career and contributions

After completing his studies, Benbow began his career in electrical engineering and eventually became the manager of the Cleveland Wire Works, a division of GE Lighting. In 1917, he patented a design for a "

coiled coil filament An incandescent light bulb, also known as an incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe, is an electric light that produces illumination by Joule heating a filament until it glows. The filament is enclosed in a glass bulb that is either ...

" that improved the efficiency and lifespan of incandescent lightbulbs.This innovation was part of a series of technological advancements in the early twentieth century that transformed the electric lighting industry.

Selected patents

U.S. Patent 1,247,068 – Coiled Coil Filament (1917)

References

External links

1885 births 1976 deaths Purdue_University_alumni General_Electric_people Electrical engineering Electrical engineering companies of the United States {{improve categories, date=March 2025