Theodore Miller Edison: Inventor and Environmentalist

Theodore Miller Edison, son of Thomas Edison, was an American inventor, businessman, and environmentalist. He founded Calibron Industries, earned over 80 patents, and was a vocal advocate for environmental preservation and zero population growth. He passed away in 1992 after a successful career marked by both innovation and activism.
American inventor (1898–1992)
Theodore Miller Edison
Born(1898-07-10)July 10, 1898
Glenmont
West Orange, New Jersey
DiedNovember 24, 1992(1992-11-24) (aged 94)
West Orange, New Jersey
EducationThe Haverford School
Montclair Academy (1916)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1923)
EmployerCalibron Industries, Inc.
Spouse
Anna Maria Osterhout
(m. 1925)
Parent(s)Thomas Edison
Mina Miller Edison

Theodore Miller Edison (July 10, 1898 – November 24, 1992) was an American businessman, inventor, and environmentalist. He was the fourth son and youngest child of inventor Thomas Edison, and founder of Calibron Industries, Inc. He was the third child of Edison with his second wife, Mina Miller Edison.

Biography

He was born on July 10, 1898, at Glenmont, the Edison home in Llewellyn Park in West Orange, New Jersey. He attended The Haverford School in Haverford, Pennsylvania, and later the Montclair Academy in Montclair, New Jersey, from which he graduated in 1916. Theodore ended his education at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned a physics degree in 1923 and remained there another year to pursue graduate studies.

In 1925, he married Anna Maria (Ann) Osterhout, a graduate of Vassar College.

After graduation, Theodore worked for his father's company, Thomas A. Edison, Inc., starting as a lab assistant. He later founded his own company, Calibron Industries, Inc., and built his own smaller laboratory in West Orange. He earned over 80 patents in his career.

In later years he became an ardent environmentalist and helped preserve Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in southwest Florida. He was also an opponent of the Vietnam War and advocate of Zero Population Growth. He lived in West Orange, New Jersey and died from Parkinson's disease on November 24, 1992.