PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — A Pullman man will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Edmund O. Schweitzer III will join the ranks of more than 560 inventors who have received the honor, including Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Nikola Tesla.
Schweitzer is the founder of Pullman-based Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, which makes key equipment for the electric utility industry.
The former Washington State University student created the SEL-21 relay, which revolutionized the electric utility industry by making it safer, more reliable and economical.
Schweitzer’s relay was able to self-test, record data and pinpoint faults to the exact mile, allowing power lines to be repaired and returned to service quickly.
Schweitzer holds more than 200 patents.