Sigismund Mohr
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Sigismund Mohr | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 21, 1827 |
| Died | December 15, 1893 (aged 66) Quebec City, Quebec, Canada |
| Resting place | Cypress Hills Cemetery, New York |
| Education | College of Breslau |
| Spouse |
Blume Levi (m. 1856) |
Sigismund Mohr (October 21, 1827 – December 15, 1893) was a Canadian engineer. He is best known for pioneering the use of hydro-electric power in Canada, and the installation of electric light and telephone systems in Quebec.[2][3]
Sigismund Mohr was born to a Jewish family in Breslau, Kingdom of Prussia, in 1827. He received a degree in electrical engineering from the College of Breslau in 1849. After living in London for a time, Mohr settled in Quebec City around 1871.[4]
Career
In 1876, Mohr obtained exclusive rights to establish a telegraph company in Quebec City, which he did under the name City District Telegraph Company.[5] He also introduced telephones to the city, and his company eventually won the province-wide rights to Alexander Graham Bell's invention.[4] Mohr became an agent for the newly created Bell Telephone Company of Canada and worked to integrate the city's telephone and telegraph systems. He also laid a telephone cable between Quebec City and Levis in 1882.[4]
In the 1880s, Mohr turned his attention to the development of electrical power in the region. He became the manager of the Quebec & Levis Electric Lighting Company and worked to harness the power of the Montmorency Falls to generate electricity.[5] In 1885, he successfully lit the first electric street lamps in Quebec City, on the Terrasse Dufferin, to a crowd of 20,000 people,[6] which sparked widespread demand for electrification in the city.[7]
