From the Laboratory of Thomas Edison comes this brief letter to William Le Roy Emmet, an award-winning engineer who began working at GE back when it was still known as Edison General Electric and then stayed with the firm for many years. In 1926 Emmet’s success caught Edison’s attention, and, as seen in the following note, provoked a congratulatory remark from the company’s founder, followed by a warning about the road ahead.

Transcript follows.

Transcript

From the Laboratory of Thomas A. Edison

Orange, N.J., Nov. 27, 1926

Mr. W. L. R. Emmet

General Electric Co

1 River Road

Schenectady, N.Y.

My dear Mr. Emmet:-

I want to thank you for your letter of the 23rd, with its enclosure, and at the same time to extend my congratulations to you on the successful outcome of your ideas.

The worst is to come, for it takes about seven years to convert the average man to the acceptance of a solved problem.

With all good wishes to you, I remain

Yours very truly

Thos. A. Edison

TAE:O