| Arthur Pratt Warner | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 18, 1870 Jacksonville, Florida |
| Died | March 22, 1957 (aged 86) Beloit, Wisconsin |
| Known for | Inventor, businessman, First to fly in Wisconsin |
Arthur Pratt Warner (April 18, 1870 - March 22, 1957) was primarily known for his successes as an inventor, businessman, and pioneer aviator. He claimed such inventions as the electric brake and the speedometer. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida. His family lived in Wisconsin from 1871 to 1877, returned to the state in 1881, and settled permanently in Beloit, Wisconsin in 1882. He died in Beloit in 1957.
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Although not formally educated in engineering, Warner began to construct dynamos for various companies in the Beloit area and developed the first electric power plant in Beloit. He took a two-year correspondence course in electrical engineering, and in 1897 moved to Madison to become a salesman for the Northern Electric Co. When this firm was acquired by General Electric, Warner was called to the home plant in Schenectady, N.Y.
Before he left Beloit, he and his brother, Charles, had begun developing a magnetic cut meter, a device used to measure tool speeds on industrial machinery. In 1903 Warner left G.E. and returned to Beloit, where he and his brother formed the Warner Instrument Company, with A. P. Warner serving as vice-president and general manager until 1912. The brothers' second invention was the development of an improved automobile speedometer/odometer, the Auto-meter. With the growth of the new automobile industry and resultant demand for accurate automotive instruments, the company rapidly expanded. In 1912 the Warner firm was sold to a company that reorganized as the Stewart-Warner Manufacturing Co. Eventually the Warner speedometer became standard equipment on virtually every automobile and motorcycle manufactured in the U.S.
In 1917 the Warner Manufacturing Co. was organized to manufacture auto and truck trailers, with Warner serving as president until its dissolution as a Wisconsin firm in 1925. In connection with his work on trailers, he developed an electric brake and later an electric clutch. In 1927 the Warner Electric Brake and Clutch Co. was organized in Beloit; Warner served as president until 1934, when he retired from active business life. He was also a founder and director of the Warner-Patterson Co. of Chicago. One of the pioneer aviation enthusiasts in Wisconsin, he purchased his first airplane in 1909 and was among the earliest fliers in the nation.[1]