Charles Proteus Steinmetz (born Karl August Rudolph Steinmetz; April 9, 1865–October 26, 1923) was a mathematician and electrical engineer from Prussia who later became an American. He taught at Union College and helped develop alternating current, which allowed the electric power industry in the United States to grow. He created mathematical theories that helped engineers solve problems. He also made important discoveries about hysteresis, which helped engineers design better electromagnetic devices, such as electric motors used in factories.

At the time of his death, Steinmetz held more than 200 patents. He was very skilled in mathematics and electronics, and his work earned him the nicknames "Forger of Thunderbolts" and "The Wizard of Schenectady." Many scientific terms, such as Steinmetz equations, Steinmetz solids, Steinmetz curves, and Steinmetz equivalent circuits, are named after him. He is also honored through awards and scholarships, including the IEEE Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award, which is one of the highest technical honors given by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Early life and education

Karl August Rudolph Steinmetz was born on April 9, 1865, in Breslau, Province of Silesia, Prussia (now Wrocław, Poland), to Caroline (Neubert) and Karl Heinrich Steinmetz. He was baptized as a Lutheran in the Evangelical Church of Prussia. As an adult, Steinmetz was very short, standing only 4 feet 0 inches (1.22 meters) tall. He had dwarfism, a hunchback, and hip dysplasia, conditions that also affected his father and grandfather. Steinmetz earned high marks when he graduated from St. John's Gymnasium in 1882.

After finishing school at St. John's Gymnasium, Steinmetz began studying at the University of Breslau in 1883 to work on his undergraduate degree. Near the end of his doctoral studies in 1888, he was forced to leave for Zurich, Switzerland, because the German government planned to prosecute him for his socialist activities.

Political persecution and emigration

In Germany, socialist meetings and newspapers were not allowed. Because of this, Steinmetz left his country and went to Zurich in 1889 to avoid being arrested. Professor Ronald R. Kline from Cornell University, who wrote a book about Steinmetz called Steinmetz: Engineer and Socialist, explained that other reasons helped Steinmetz decide to leave, such as financial difficulties and the desire to live in a more peaceful environment with his socialist friends, rather than in his father's stressful home.

Because his visa was about to expire, Steinmetz moved to the United States in 1889 when he was 24 years old. He changed his first name to "Charles" to sound more American. He also chose the middle name "Proteus," which came from a nickname given to him by his college friends. In the Odyssey, Proteus was a wise character with a hump on his back who knew many secrets.

Political activism and beliefs

Charles Steinmetz was politically active in the United States for more than thirty years. He supported a system that used technology to improve society. After the Bolsheviks created a plan to bring electricity to Russia, Steinmetz compared Lenin to Albert Einstein, calling them "the two greatest minds of our time." He believed in a system where businesses and government worked together, and this system also focused on taking care of people's needs.

Steinmetz was part of a group called the Technical Alliance, which also included Thorstein Veblen and Leland Olds. He strongly believed that machines could reduce hard work and provide plenty for everyone. He once said, "One day, we will make the good things of life available to everyone."

Steinmetz's belief that technology could lead to a better future was closely connected to his political ideas. He thought that spreading electricity would naturally guide society toward socialism.

Electrical engineering

Steinmetz is known for his work in three important areas of alternating current (AC) systems theory: hysteresis, steady-state analysis, and transients.

After arriving in the United States, Steinmetz began working for Rudolf Eickemeyer in Yonkers, New York. He published research on magnetic hysteresis, which earned him recognition worldwide. Eickemeyer’s company created transformers and other devices used for transmitting electrical power. In 1893, Eickemeyer’s company, including all its patents and designs, was purchased by the newly formed General Electric Company. At General Electric, Steinmetz became well-known as an expert engineer.

Steinmetz’s work changed how AC circuits are studied and analyzed. Before his contributions, these studies used complex, time-consuming methods based on calculus. In a groundbreaking paper titled "Complex Quantities and Their Use in Electrical Engineering," published in 1893 by the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), Steinmetz simplified these methods into a basic algebra problem. He introduced the use of complex number phasor representation in electrical engineering education, where the lowercase letter "j" represents a 90-degree rotation in AC system analysis. His books and AIEE papers taught many engineers how to understand AC systems.

Steinmetz also made important discoveries about lightning. His experiments led to the first laboratory-created "man-made lightning," which earned him the nickname "Forger of Thunderbolts." These experiments took place in a large laboratory at General Electric, using 120,000-volt generators. Like Nikola Tesla, another pioneer of alternating current, Steinmetz built a lightning tower to study natural lightning and its effects, leading to new scientific theories.

Professional life

Steinmetz held several important professional roles throughout his life:

• At Union College, he served as chairperson of the electrical engineering department from 1902 to 1913 and continued as a faculty member until his death in 1923.
• He was a board member of the Schenectady Board of Education for six years, including four years as the board’s president.
• He served as president of the Common Council of Schenectady.
• He was president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers from 1901 to 1902.
• He served as first vice-president of the International Association of Municipal Electricians (IAME), which later became the International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA), from 1913 until his death in 1923.

He received an honorary degree from Harvard University in 1901 and a doctorate from Union College in 1903. Other honors included the Certificate of Merit from the Franklin Institute in 1908, the Elliott Cresson Medal in 1913, and the Cedergren Medal in 1914. Steinmetz was also an elected member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

He authored 13 books and 60 articles, not all focused on engineering. He was a member and adviser to the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta at Union College, whose chapter house was among the first to have electricity.

While serving as president of the Schenectady Board of Education, Steinmetz introduced several reforms, such as longer school hours, school meals, school nurses, special classes for children of immigrants, and the free distribution of textbooks.

Personal life

Steinmetz had dwarfism and was 4 feet 0 inches (1.22 meters) tall as an adult. He also had kyphosis, a condition that affected his spine, just like his father and grandfather. Although he loved children and family life, Steinmetz did not get married. He chose this to avoid passing his spinal condition to any children he might have had.

When Joseph LeRoy Hayden, a dedicated lab assistant, said he planned to marry and find his own home, Steinmetz offered an unusual solution. He invited Hayden and his future family to live in his large home, which included a research lab, greenhouse, and office. Hayden liked the idea, but his future wife was hesitant about the unusual plan. She agreed after Steinmetz promised her she could manage the household as she wished.

At first, the arrangement was difficult. However, it eventually worked well for everyone, especially after three children were born to the Haydens. Steinmetz legally adopted Joseph Hayden as his son, making him the children’s grandfather. He enjoyed telling them exciting stories and showing them amazing science experiments. The unusual but peaceful living arrangement continued for the rest of Steinmetz’s life.

In 1894, Steinmetz started the Mohawk Aerial Navigation Company (Ltd.), which became the first practical gliding club in the world. However, none of the company’s test models could fly.

Steinmetz was an agnostic his entire life. He died on October 26, 1923, at the age of 58. He was buried in Vale Cemetery in Schenectady.

Legacy

Charles Steinmetz received widespread respect from scientists and was honored with many awards during his lifetime and after his death.

Steinmetz’s equation, based on his experiments, explains the amount of heat energy produced by magnetic hysteresis in magnetic materials during each cycle. A Steinmetz solid is a shape formed where two or three cylinders of the same size intersect at right angles. Steinmetz’s equivalent circuit is still used today in the design and testing of induction machines.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) gives the "IEEE Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award," one of its highest honors, to recognize major contributions to standardization in electrical and electronics engineering.

In 1925, the Schenectady branch of the IEEE started the Charles P. Steinmetz Memorial Lecture series in his honor. By 2017, 73 events had taken place, mostly at Union College. These events featured notable figures, including Nobel Prize winner Robert A. Millikan, helicopter inventor Igor Sikorsky, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, William Shockley, and Leonard Kleinrock.

Union College celebrates Steinmetz’s legacy with the annual Steinmetz Symposium, where undergraduate students present research. Steinmetz Hall, which houses the college’s computer center, is named after him.

The Charles P. Steinmetz Scholarship is given yearly by the college. Since 1923, it has been funded by the General Electric Company. Another scholarship, the Charles P. Steinmetz Memorial Scholarship, was later created by Marjorie Hayden and is awarded to students studying engineering or physics.

In 1971, Union College purchased a 1914 "Duplex Drive Brougham" Detroit Electric automobile that once belonged to Steinmetz. The car was restored and is displayed in a corridor between the Wold Center and F.W. Olin building.

A public high school in Chicago, Steinmetz College Prep, and a public school in Schenectady, the Steinmetz Career and Leadership Academy, are named after him. A public park in north Schenectady, New York, was also named for him in 1931.

In 1983, the U.S. Post Office included Steinmetz in a series of stamps honoring American inventors.

In May 2015, a life-size bronze statue of Charles Steinmetz meeting Thomas Edison was unveiled in Schenectady. The statue was created by Dexter Benedict and is located on a plaza near Erie Boulevard and South Ferry Street.

Charles Steinmetz’s cabin on the Mohawk River is preserved and displayed in Greenfield Village, part of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

In popular culture

Charles Steinmetz is mentioned in one of the biographies within John Dos Passos's U.S.A. trilogy. He is also a main character in Starling Lawrence's 2006 book, The Lightning Keeper, and plays a significant role in Elizabeth Rosner's novel, Electric City.

In the 1944 Three Stooges short film Busy Buddies, Moe Howard mentions Steinmetz. In 1959, the actor Rod Steiger portrayed Steinmetz on the CBS television show The Joseph Cotten Show. The episode highlighted Steinmetz's involvement in socialist movements in Germany.

A well-known story about Steinmetz involves his work at Henry Ford's River Rouge Plant in 1944. He helped solve a problem there, and a notable part of the story is the detailed list of charges he sent for the work he completed.

General sources

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