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George Baldwin Selden, American Inventor

George Baldwin Selden (September 14, 1846 - January 17, 1922) was a patent lawyer and inventor. Inspired by the internal combustion engine invented by George Brayton displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, he began working on a smaller lighter version, succeeding by 1878, in producing a one-cylinder, 400-pound version which featured an enclosed crankshaft. He filed for a patent on May 8, 1879. He then filed a series of amendments to his application which stretched out the legal process resulting in a delay of 16 years before the patent was granted on November 5, 1895. In 1899 he sold his patent rights to William C. Whitney, who proposed manufacturing electric-powered taxicabs as the Electric Vehicle Company, EVC, for a royalty of US$15 per car with a minimum annual payment of US$5,000. Whitney and Selden then worked together to collect royalties from other budding automobile manufacturers. He suffered a stroke and died 1922 at the age of 75.
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Title:
George Baldwin Selden, American Inventor
Caption:
George Baldwin Selden (September 14, 1846 - January 17, 1922) was a patent lawyer and inventor. Inspired by the internal combustion engine invented by George Brayton displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, he began working on a smaller lighter version, succeeding by 1878, in producing a one-cylinder, 400-pound version which featured an enclosed crankshaft. He filed for a patent on May 8, 1879. He then filed a series of amendments to his application which stretched out the legal process resulting in a delay of 16 years before the patent was granted on November 5, 1895. In 1899 he sold his patent rights to William C. Whitney, who proposed manufacturing electric-powered taxicabs as the Electric Vehicle Company, EVC, for a royalty of US$15 per car with a minimum annual payment of US$5,000. Whitney and Selden then worked together to collect royalties from other budding automobile manufacturers. He suffered a stroke and died 1922 at the age of 75.
Credit:
Album / Science Source / New York Public Library
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Image size:
3600 x 3232 px | 33.3 MB
Print size:
30.5 x 27.4 cm | 12.0 x 10.8 in (300 dpi)
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