Otis, Elisha

Otis, Elisha (Graves)

(1811–61) inventor; born in Halifax, Vt. A master mechanic for a company that made bedsteads in Yonkers, N.Y., in 1853 he developed a system to hoist equipment and workers from one floor to the next, patenting it as an "elevator." Otis was soon taking orders for passenger as well as freight lifts. He patented a steam elevator in 1861, and his sons expanded the business after his death.