During his lifetime, Sir James Swinburne was granted more than one hundred patents, mostly related to electricity and lighting. Born into a titled seafaring family in Scotland, Swinburne started out as an apprentice engineer at a locomotive factory in England. In 1880, he was sent by Sir Joseph Swan to set up electric lamp factories in France and America.

Swinburne's next job was with Crompton & Co., a British manufacturer of dynamos, machines that generate direct-current electric power. By improving dynamo design, Swinburne helped spur the growth of the electric lighting industry. Previously, electricity was supplied mainly by batteries, which were relatively expensive to operate. Dynamos provided a cheaper source of power that could be widely distributed. Swinburne also invented many significant improvements to the incandescent light bulb.

In 1899, Swinburne established his own engineering consulting firm in London, complete with laboratory and workshop, and his ingenuity and dexterity made him...