William Dubilier

The mica capacitor—a Dubilier design that revolutionized wireless communications—was inspired by a demonstration of a wireless telegraph transmitter by Guglielmo Marconi. The transmitter required more than 50 Leyden jars for circuit capacitance. Dubilier's mica capacitor was sturdier, more efficient, smaller, and lighter than the Leyden jar. It made smaller electronic equipment possible. Dubilier became chief electrician of the Continental Wireless Co. at the age of 19. In 1915, he founded Dubilier Condenser Corp. of New York, where he pioneered the development of self-healing, metallized dielectrics for capacitors, high-voltage transmitting capacitors, and antenna-shortening capacitors. Dubilier was granted more than 355 patents. In 1933, Dubilier's company merged with the Cornell Electric Company to form the Cornell-Dubilier Electric Corp.