Curtis, Charles Gordon

Charles Gordon Curtis, (born April 20, 1860, Boston—died March 10, 1953, Central Islip, N.Y., U.S.), U.S. inventor who devised a steam turbine widely used in electric power plants and in marine propulsion. He was a patent lawyer for eight years.

The Curtis steam turbine was patented in 1896, and its principles are still used in large ocean liners and other naval vessels. The land rights were sold to the General Electric Company and have been used worldwide in its power installations. Curtis is also credited with invention of the first American gas turbine, patented in 1899. Curtis, an associate of Thomas Alva Edison, also held a number of patents for diesel engine improvements and helped develop propulsion mechanisms for naval torpedoes.