Willis Carrier

1.1. Childhood and family background

Willis Haviland Carrier was born on November 26, 1876, in Angola, New York, a small town in Erie County. His parents were Duane Williams Carrier (1836-1908) and Elizabeth R. Haviland (1845-1888). From his mother, he inherited a love for "tinkering," enjoying the repair of old clocks, sewing machines, and other household items. He also showed a strong inclination towards mathematics, constantly seeking opportunities to study it. His mother Elizabeth, whose ancestors were Quakers who had immigrated to New England in the 17th century, passed away when Willis was 11 years old. He was named after his maternal uncle.

The Carrier family's history in America dates back to 1663 when Thomas Carrier, born in Wales in 1622, arrived in the American colonies, possibly as a political exile, and adopted the surname Carrier. Thomas married Martha, the daughter of one of the first immigrants to Andover, Massachusetts. Martha Carrier later became a notable figure in the Salem witch trials; accused of witchcraft during a land dispute with the Andover town office, she was arrested, convicted, and ultimately hanged on August 19, 1692. Her two sons, aged 10 and 13, were reportedly subjected to torture until they confessed to their mother being a witch. The Carrier family resided in New England until 1799 when Willis's great-grandparents relocated to Madison County, New York. In 1836, they moved further west to Erie County, where they purchased the farm on which Willis was born. His father, Duane, was a diverse individual who taught music to Native Americans, operated a general store, and even served as a postmaster for a period.

1.2. Education

Carrier's academic journey reflected his early talents. He graduated from Angola Academy in 1894 and from Buffalo High School in 1897. In 1895, he received a scholarship to attend Cornell University, where he continued to excel in mathematics. He graduated from Cornell in 1901 with a Master of Engineering degree, laying a robust foundation for his future technical innovations.

2.1. Early career at Buffalo Forge Company

After graduating from Cornell University in 1901, Carrier joined the Buffalo Forge Company as a research engineer. The company specialized in manufacturing heaters, blowers, and ventilation systems. His initial assignments involved designing heating systems for drying various materials, including lumber and coffee beans. This early experience provided him with valuable insights into the behavior of air, temperature, and moisture, which proved crucial for his subsequent groundbreaking work.

2.2. Invention of the first modern air conditioning system

The pivotal moment in Carrier's career occurred on July 17, 1902, while he was working in Buffalo, New York. He received a request from the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing & Publishing Company in Brooklyn, New York. The printing company faced a significant problem: high humidity during the summer months caused paper to expand and contract, leading to misregistration and poor quality images in their color printing process, which involved running the same piece of paper through the press up to four times with different colored inks.

In response to this challenge, Willis Carrier submitted drawings for what would become recognized as the world's first modern air conditioning system. The 1902 installation is considered the birth of modern air conditioning due to its revolutionary addition of humidity control. This innovation led authorities in the field to recognize that a true air conditioning system must perform four basic functions:

• Control temperature
• Control humidity
• Control air circulation and ventilation
• Cleanse the air

The first unit of this spray-type air conditioning equipment was delivered to the LaCrosse National Bank in late 1906.

2.3. Technological advancements and patents

Following the initial success, Carrier dedicated several more years to refining and field-testing his invention. On January 2, 1906, he was granted US Patent 808897 for an "Apparatus for Treating Air." This was the world's first spray-type air conditioning equipment, designed to either humidify or dehumidify air by heating or cooling water.

In the same year, 1906, Carrier made another significant discovery: he found that "constant dew-point depression provided practically constant relative humidity." This principle, which established a proportional relationship between the dew point temperature and humidity, became known among air conditioning engineers as the "law of constant dew-point depression." Based on this discovery, he designed an automatic control system, for which he filed a patent claim on May 17, 1907. US Patent 1085971 for this system was issued on February 3, 1914, solidifying his role as the inventor of "dew point control."

In 1908, the Carrier Air Conditioner Company of America was established as a subsidiary of the Buffalo Forge Company, with Willis Carrier serving as its vice president.

2.4. "Rational Psychrometric Formulae"

On December 3, 1911, Willis Carrier presented what is widely considered the most significant document ever prepared on air conditioning: "Rational Psychrometric Formulae" at the annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). This seminal paper became known as the "Magna Carta of Psychrometrics," the study of moist air. The document scientifically linked the concepts of relative humidity, absolute humidity, and dew-point temperature, providing the fundamental scientific basis for designing air conditioning systems to precisely meet specific environmental requirements. Carrier's formulae became the foundational data for air conditioning system design.

2.5. Founding of Carrier Engineering Corporation

The outbreak of World War I in late 1914 had a direct impact on Carrier's professional path. The Buffalo Forge Company, where he had been employed for 12 years, decided to shift its focus entirely to manufacturing, particularly military goods, and halted new development in air conditioning. This strategic change prompted Carrier to establish his own company dedicated to air conditioning.

On June 26, 1915, Willis Carrier, along with seven fellow young engineers-J. Irvine Lyle, Edward T. Murphy, L. Logan Lewis, Ernest T. Lyle, Frank Sanna, Alfred E. Stacey Jr., and Edmund P. Heckel-pooled their life savings, totaling 32.60 K USD, to form the Carrier Engineering Corporation in New York. The company initially settled in New York before moving its headquarters to Newark, New Jersey.

3.1. Impact of economic challenges and wars

Despite significant technological advancements, such as the development of the centrifugal refrigeration machine, and the rapid commercial growth of air conditioning for cooling buildings in the 1920s, the company faced severe financial difficulties. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 in October 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression significantly slowed the adoption of air conditioning in both residential and commercial sectors.

In response to these challenges, the Carrier Engineering Corporation merged with the Brunswick-Kroeschell Company and the York Heating & Ventilating Corporation in 1930 to form the larger Carrier Corporation. Willis Carrier was appointed chairman of the board of the newly formed entity. The company's operations were initially dispersed across four cities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. To consolidate and streamline operations, Carrier moved the company's headquarters to Syracuse, New York, in 1937, where it became one of the largest employers in central New York.

At the 1939 New York World's Fair, Willis Carrier presented an igloo-shaped pavilion, offering visitors a glimpse into the future of air conditioning. However, before the technology could gain widespread popularity, World War II began, further delaying its mass adoption.

3.2. Post-war growth and market expansion

The true surge in air conditioning's popularity and adoption occurred during the post-war economic boom of the 1950s. As economies recovered and living standards improved, air conditioning began its tremendous growth. In 1955, the prominent builder William Levitt notably adopted air conditioning as a standard feature in his housing developments, significantly accelerating its widespread diffusion. By that year, Carrier Corporation's sales reached 5.10 B USD.

Carrier Corporation's reach expanded beyond industrial applications into the private sector. Its air conditioning systems were installed in prominent locations, including the Hudson's Department Store in Detroit in 1924, the Rivoli Theatre in New York City in 1925, the United States Congress in 1928, and even the White House in 1929. Today, air conditioning and HVAC systems are fundamental staples in many American homes and businesses.

3.3. Societal and industrial impact

Air conditioning revolutionized American life and economy in profound ways. By enabling precise temperature and humidity control, it significantly increased industrial production capacity, particularly during the hot summer months when work efficiency would otherwise decline. This technological advancement improved working conditions across various industries.

Beyond factories and offices, air conditioning facilitated new architectural designs, allowing for the construction of sealed, climate-controlled buildings that were previously impractical in certain climates. It also played a crucial role in demographic shifts, notably promoting migration patterns, especially to the Sun Belt region of the United States, by making previously uncomfortable climates habitable and desirable for year-round living and business.

3.4. International expansion

Willis Carrier's vision extended globally. In 1930, he initiated international operations by establishing Toyo Carrier in Japan and expanding into the Korean Peninsula. Carrier Corporation pioneered the design and manufacture of refrigeration machines capable of cooling large spaces, establishing itself as a world leader in commercial and residential HVAC and refrigeration.

In 2007, Carrier Corporation reported sales exceeding 15.00 B USD and employed approximately 45,000 people. By 2018, its sales had grown to 18.60 B USD with a workforce of 53,000 employees. The company became a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation in 1980 and remained so until 2020, when it was spun off as an independent publicly traded company. Later, Effie, a descendant, took over the family business, passing it to her daughter Donna, who then passed it to her daughter Lisa. Lisa appointed her son, Timothy Carrier, as CEO of the company. This family branch is currently based in Lorne, New Brunswick.

4.1. Marriages and family

Willis Carrier was married three times. His first marriage was to Edith Claire Seymour on August 29, 1902, whom he met at Cornell University. Edith passed away in 1912. He then married Jennie Tifft Martin on April 16, 1913. Jennie died in 1939. His third marriage was to Elizabeth Marsh Wise of Terre Haute, Indiana, on February 7, 1941. Willis Carrier and all three of his wives are interred in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York.

4.2. Children

Carrier did not have biological children but adopted two children from his second wife, Jennie Tifft Martin: Vernon Gardner Carrier (1903-1985) and Earl Gardner Carrier (1905-1983).

6.1. Awards and honors

For his profound contributions to science and industry, Willis Carrier received significant recognition throughout his lifetime and posthumously:

• He was awarded an honorary engineering degree by Lehigh University in 1935.
• In 1942, he received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Alfred University.
• He was a recipient of the Frank P. Brown Medal in 1942.
• Posthumously, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1985.
• In 2008, he was inducted into the Buffalo Science Museum Hall of Fame.

6.2. Memorials and lasting impact

Willis Carrier's influence continues to be honored through various memorials. The Willis H. Carrier Total Indoor Environmental Quality Lab at Syracuse University's Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems is named in his honor. This laboratory was established in 2010 with a generous donation from the Carrier Corporation, reflecting the ongoing importance of his pioneering work. Carrier's invention of modern air conditioning remains a cornerstone of modern comfort, productivity, and urban development, fundamentally altering how people live, work, and build in diverse climates worldwide.