Moses Farmer (1820 – 1893): We have spoken, in the past, of some of the early inventors/promotors who contributed, directly or indirectly, to the development of electric powered transportation. One such individual, who we mentioned previously but didn’t discuss, was Moses Farmer, prominent in his day but now largely forgotten. A graduate of Dartmouth University, he is important to the history of electric railways both in that, in 1847, he created a small battery powered electric locomotive that was able to haul two passengers and he was one of several individuals in the late 1850’s who developed successful self-exciting electric generators.

But he also made many other contributions to both understanding and practical applications of electricity. Appointed electrician at the U.S. Navy Torpedo Factory in Newport RI in 1868 – from which he derived the title “professor” — he did much to introduce electricity in naval applications. He preceded Edison in developing a successful incandescent light bulb, the patent for which he sold to Edison, and he created a commercially successful electric fire alarm system. For his work, especially with the fire alarm, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall Of Fame in 2005.

Picture: Moses Gerrish Farmer, 1820-1893 – Maine Memory Network