Paul Lincoln

Biography

Born: January 1, 1870

Died:

Lincoln was AIEE president from 1914 to 1915.

One of the most prominent engineers and educators in the electrical engineering industry is Paul Martyn Lincoln, director of the school of electrical engineering at Cornell University.

He was born in Norwood, Mich., January 1, 1870, and was educated at Western Reserve and at Ohio State Universities, receiving from the latter the M.E. degree in electrical engineering in 1892. He was employed first as testing electrician by the Brush Electric Company, doing some drafting later. The next year, in 1893 he went to the Pittsburgh plant of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, where he took the training course of the company. In 1895 he was chosen for the position of electrical superintendent in charge of water power development of Niagra Falls. Hydroelectric development was in the early stages the, and the amount of power generated, transmitted, and distributed by this first plant was so far in excess of anything accomplished up to that date that it was unique; Mr. Lincoln's responsibilities were considerable as he had charge of the operating department. In 1902 he returned to Westinghouse in Pittsburgh and was in charge of the power division of the engineering department for 6 years. He was appointed general engineer for the company in 1910, holding that position until 1919. At that time he resigned from his position with Westinghouse to join the firm of his older brother, the Lincoln Electric Company, as consulting engineer. From 1911 to 1915 he was head of the electrical school at the University of Pittsburgh, and from 1922 to date he has been director of the school of engineering at Cornell University.

In 1902 he received the John Scott medal award from the City of Philadelphia, upon the recommendation of the Franklin Institute, for his invention of the synchroscope, a device now in universal use wherever a-c machines are paralleled.

Mr. Lincoln has served as the Institute as manager (1906-09) and as vice-president (1909-11). He has been very active on Institute committees, serving on the papers, and meetings and papers (now technical program) committees, on the executive, Sections and law committees, as, power stations, protective devices, transmission and distribution, electrical machinery, standards, instruments and measurements, etc. He has served on the board of award of the John Fritz medal, and at present is serving on the Edison and Lamme medal committees. He was a member of the board of management of the World's Congress of Engineers, 1923-25. He is a member of several scientific and engineering societies in the United States.