Founder Profile
Elihu Thomson
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Elihu Thomson?
Elihu Thomson is a founder of GE HealthCare, which was founded in 1897 with Thomas Edison and Edwin J. Houston. Elihu Thomson is a founder of General Electric Company, which was founded in 1892 with Thomas Alva Edison, Charles Albert Coffin and Edwin Houston.
- Companies founded
- GE HealthCare and General Electric Company
- Founded
- 1897
- Co-founders
- Thomas Edison and Edwin J. Houston
Background
Elihu Thomson taught at Central High School in Philadelphia alongside Edwin Houston. His research in electrical physics there led to the founding of Thomson-Houston.
Founding Story
Elihu Thomson was an English-born inventor and engineer and a co-founder of one of the companies that became General Electric. He was teaching in Philadelphia when he and his colleague Edwin Houston formed the Thomson-Houston Electric Company in 1882. Thomson designed arc-lighting systems and other electrical equipment. In 1892 J.P. Morgan merged Thomson-Houston with Thomas Edison's company to form General Electric. Thomson served the new company as a senior engineer and obtained hundreds of patents.
Elihu Thomson was born in 1853 in Manchester. Education: Harvard University.