Thomas Edison found Guilty of murder in 1890?

In 1890, Louis Le Prince who had invented an early type of motion picture camera went missing. When I first read about this, my first thought was that Edison had done him in. After a quick internet search it seems that his family made similar acusations at the time.

Assuming that Edison did plan it, and that he was tried, found guilty, and sentanced to a lengthly prison term, what effects would this have?

He is the first man executed via the electric chair.

Thomas Edison? I was not aware he was the homicidal type.

He went to the pound and picked up stray pets so he could electocute them with alternating current, proving Tesla's electricity dangerous. Just good business.

Torturing animals is a sign that a person is a psychopath, and most serial killers are psychopaths. But most successful businessmen are also psychopaths too. I'm just saying, his reputation is more law abiding aloof genius and entrepreneur with a quirky personality (trying to design machines to talk to the dead, pissing contest with Tesla etc.) than cold blooded axe wielding murderer.

Many successful business people kill competitors, just not law abiding ones who want to be respected citizens as Edison seemed to strive to be. If they do, they probably go to alot of trouble to hide it, because if they go to jail, they'll be out of business.

If he killed competitors on a regular basis, Tesla would be dead among others, IMHO and he lived to a ripe old age.

DISSIDENT said:

Torturing animals is a sign that a person is a psychopath, and most serial killers are psychopaths. But most successful businessmen are also psychopaths too. I'm just saying, his reputation is more law abiding aloof genius and entrepreneur with a quirky personality (trying to design machines to talk to the dead, pissing contest with Tesla etc.) than cold blooded axe wielding murderer.

Many successful business people kill competitors, just not law abiding ones who want to be respected citizens as Edison seemed to strive to be. If they do, they probably go to alot of trouble to hide it, because if they go to jail, they'll be out of business.

If he killed competitors on a regular basis, Tesla would be dead among others, IMHO and he lived to a ripe old age.

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Technically a better term for you to use would be sociopath, assuming he actually did the murder. The nature of corporations and capitalism both encourage callous disregard for others or at least an ammoral worldview. There are important exceptions, from the latter life of Andrew Carnegie to Ben and Jerry.

An obvious affect would be a thriving motion picture industry early on. Edison's lawsuits to try and cash in on "his" invention crippled the infant industry for some time. Be interesting to see how WWI propaganda would develop with a stronger film business.

Anyone feel like betting this thread will degenerate rather quickly.

Joseph K. said:

Assuming that Edison did plan it, and that he was tried, found guilty, and sentanced to a lengthly prison term, what effects would this have?

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Why would he get a prison term? I thought that in 1890 most states retained the death penalty.

The Last Marylander said:

Anyone feel like betting this thread will degenerate rather quickly.

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I propose a new rule to be entitled the AIHD Anti-Flame Law, where everyone just ignores AIHD in any threads outside of Political Chat. (and possibly Future History, since that appears to be an adjunct to PC)

On topic: Is there any actual evidence for this claim? I mean, obviously Edison was never charged...

xchen08 said:

I propose a new rule to be entitled the AIHD Anti-Flame Law, where everyone just ignores AIHD in any threads outside of Political Chat. (and possibly Future History, since that appears to be an adjunct to PC)

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I second said motion.

xchen08 said:

I propose a new rule to be entitled the AIHD Anti-Flame Law, where everyone just ignores AIHD in any threads outside of Political Chat. (and possibly Future History, since that appears to be an adjunct to PC)

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There's no call for this flaming. Grow up.

I don't see this as a flame subject.

It strikes me that Edison was one of the seminal figures of the late 19th and early 20th century.

As an understanding of his limitations and methods have become clearer, his historical role has been reassessed.

But even within that reassessment, we still have to acknowledge Edison as a major industrial and cultural force shaping America and the world.

Remove Edison from the Board, and undoubtedly, someone else invents the phonograph, the light bulb, etc. etc. It was the age of inventors, after all.

But how these inventions hit society, when they do, and the context and control over them, changes dramatically.

So, lets assume that in 1890, Edison is removed from the Board. What inventors step up, what concerns and businesses take his place?

DValdron said:

Remove Edison from the Board, and undoubtedly, someone else invents the phonograph, the light bulb, etc. etc. It was the age of inventors, after all.

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You are correct here, tho in many instances Edison didn't invent but perfected an item. The light bulb is a good example here.

David S Poepoe said:

You are correct here, tho in many instances Edison didn't invent but perfected an item. The light bulb is a good example here.

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True. The basic notion of light from a heated filament was out and about. But in the culture of the time, Edison gets credit for inventing the light bulb, and its not until generations later that there's more balanced appraisal. But even there, even if he's not quite the actual technical inventor (and in many cases he wasnt), the culture gelled around him. He even had an early branch of speculative fiction named after him, the 'Edisonade'

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but IIRC, Edison never left the US (at least I've never heard of him going abroad in 1890). So, if Le Prince was murdered, then the only way Edison could have been connected (and convicted) would have been had Edison orchestrated a translatlantic contract killing by hiring someone in France and paying them by wire which would have too risky as the transaction itself could have been easily traced, the orders could have been discovered in evidence or the would be assassin could have pocketted the intended monies without Edison being able to easily access either again OR by sending an assassin abroad to do the deed and somehow be able to slip in and out of France undetected. The latter would make more sense but that in itself would make it far more difficult for anyone to trace things back to Edison-much less charge him and while I know that murder and murder for hire were criminal offenses in both countries, I'm not sure which jurisdiction would have prosecuted a US citizen who had never set foot in France.
Yes, Edison would seem to have motive to want to rid the world of Le Prince but I'm not sure he would have gone to so much trouble to have done so- nor have I ever heard of him having expressed any 'good riddance' re Le Prince's disappearance.
Considering that the mystery of what became of Le Prince has never been solved, I give you props for proposing this scenario. However; even considering Le Prince's family's suspicions it just seems a zillion to one shot even in a what-if capacity.

Edison had the most to gain of anyone by Le Prince's disappreance and possible murder. That's why he's always been the most prominent suspect. But there's never been anything substantial as far as I know of as proof.

There's accounts in a few blogs of a grad student recntly finding an entry in Edison's papers where he admits prior knowledge of the murder of Le Prince. That's been harshly disparaged by several bloggers since allegedly the entry is written in too-modern language. But even the accounts of what's supposedly been found are third hand or even more remote.