Industrial Research Transformed: Edward Condon at the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, 1935-1942

Abstract

The 1930s marked a significant transformation in the content and direction of industrial research at the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. Westinghouse was widely respected for its engineering expertise, but it was not as well known for the type of advanced scientific research that was already underway at General Electric, AT&T, and other large companies. In a deliberate attempt to improve its image within the scientific community and match the intellectual strength of its industrial rivals, Westinghouse established a new academic-style research program in 1935. Edward Condon, a respected theoretical physicist at Princeton University, was hired to lead this effort. By 1942, Westinghouse's long-standing reputation for engineering excellence was complemented by growing recognition for its accomplishments in nuclear physics, mass spectrometry, and microwave electronics. Unlike its competitors, however, Westinghouse never conceived a coherent strategy to link Condon's research in these fields to new products and markets. Consequently, the company derived few commercial benefits from its investment in fundamental research.