Edison Illuminating Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric utility |
| Founded | December 17, 1880 in New York City, United States |
| Founder | Thomas Edison |
| Fate | Acquired by Consolidated Gas in 1901 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Electrical generating stations and power supply |
The Edison Illuminating Company was established by Thomas Edison on December 17, 1880, with the purpose of creating electrical generating stations, initially focusing on New York City. This enterprise acted as a model for many local lighting companies that emerged throughout the United States during the 1880s.
Pearl Street Station
Edison's inaugural central station, known as the Pearl Street Station, started functioning on September 4, 1882, located at 257 Pearl Street in Manhattan. It holds the distinction of being the first commercial power plant in America and also the world’s earliest cogeneration facility. The station was destroyed by fire on January 2, 1890; only a single dynamo survived and is currently exhibited at the Henry Ford Museum. In 2011, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers honored it as a significant historical achievement.
Other stations
The Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Shamokin, Pennsylvania, founded in November 1882, became the second three-wire electrical station globally by 1883. The initial facility of this kind was Edison's plant in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, which opened on July 4, 1883, with Edison himself present at its launch. Sunbury commemorates this heritage through the Edison Hotel and a dedicated monument.
Operations began on October 1, 1883, at the Brockton Edison Electric Illuminating Company Power Station in Brockton, Massachusetts, another three-wire system powering roughly 1600 lamps; this station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Later that year, on November 17, 1883, the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania was created as the first completely isolated electrical plant worldwide, supplying power to the entire community with 38 arc lamps and 50 incandescent light bulbs concentrated in its commercial area.
Further expansion included plants launched in Fall River, Massachusetts (1883), Cumberland, Maryland (1884), Tamaqua, Pennsylvania (1885), and Boston (1886), broadening Edison's electric utility presence across important regional centers.
Fate
In 1901, Consolidated Gas acquired the Edison Illuminating Company. By 1936, with electricity sales overtaking gas consumption, the firm adopted the name Consolidated Edison. Presently known as Con Ed, it operates as a multi-billion dollar utility serving around 3.3 million customers. A common misconception is that Edison Illuminating evolved into General Electric, but apart from their mutual founder, no corporate connection existed between them.
Notable employees
Henry Ford joined Edison Illuminating as an engineer in 1891 and rose to chief engineer by 1893 before departing in 1899 to focus on automobile production. Additionally, James Hood Wright held a position on the company’s board of directors.