Lester Allen Pelton

Engineer

Birthday September 5, 1829

Birth Sign Virgo

Birthplace Ohio

DEATH DATE Mar 14, 1908 (78)

#219453 Most Popular

About

Remembered best for inventing an efficient hydroelectric turbine known as the Pelton water wheel, this 19th-century scientist was the recipient of the 1895 Elliott Cresson Medal.

Before Fame

Before beginning his work as an inventor, he attempted to become a gold-miner and subsequently worked in the carpentry and millwrighting industries.

Trivia

In 2006, he became a posthumous inductee into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Family Life

He was born in Vermilion, Ohio, to pioneers Allen Pelton and Fanny Cuddeback. He relocated to California in the early 1850s.

Associated With

He and Jean-Victor Poncelet were both inventors of water wheel models.