About
Remembered best for inventing an efficient hydroelectric turbine known as the Pelton water wheel, this 19th-century scientist was the recipient of the 1895 Elliott Cresson Medal.
Before Fame
Before beginning his work as an inventor, he attempted to become a gold-miner and subsequently worked in the carpentry and millwrighting industries.
Trivia
In 2006, he became a posthumous inductee into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Family Life
He was born in Vermilion, Ohio, to pioneers Allen Pelton and Fanny Cuddeback. He relocated to California in the early 1850s.
Associated With
He and Jean-Victor Poncelet were both inventors of water wheel models.
