Existing comment:
Edison the Man
"I always invented to obtain money to go on inventing."
-- Thomas A Edison
When Edison died in 1931, son Charles locked his father's rolltop desk. It was reopened in 1947 by Mina Edison, Thomas's widow, at a ceremony marking Edison's 100th birthday.
Labels on the desk's pigeonholes offer some clues about Edison's interests. Pet projects, like "Cement" and "Storage Battery" have homes, while "Money" and "Financial" slots represent the practical side of business. One label, however, captures the essence of Edison's success: "New Things."
The Edison Sons:
Charles Edison was born in 1890 and began working for his father in 1914. He became president of Thomas A Edison, Incorporated in 1926 and ran the company until it was sold in 1959. Theodore, born in 1898, started working as a lab assistant after graduating from MIT in 1923, eventually becoming technical director of research and engineering. With Mina watching his health, and sons Charles and Theodore in the business, Edison was able to continue experimenting until several months before his death at age 84. |