Mailing envelope belonging to E. T. Gilliland of Boston, 5.25 x 3, addressed by Thomas Edison to "W. T. King, Esq., Edisons Expert, Railroad Office, Clifton, Staten Island, NY," postmarked in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 22, 1885. In fine condition.
Ezra Torrance Gilliland was an inventor (1845-1903) who designed the telephone switchboard and the magneto bell. He had a laboratory in his home and 'kept seven expert electricians employed' as he worked on his ideas. He built the first telephone exchange in Indianapolis in the 1870s under the name Gilliland Telephone Manufacturing Company and later worked for the Bell Telephone Company. Gilliland was a friend and colleague of Edison and the two worked together on many projects. They met as young men and called each other 'Damon and Pythias' because of their close friendship. Edison met his second wife at Gilliland's home, and Gilliland wrote frequently in trade journals promoting Edison's inventions. The two were business partners, even occupying adjacent vacation homes in Fort Myers, Florida, until 1889 when they had a falling out over business dealings.
William T. King is believed to be a New York draftsman hired by Edison during his railway telegraph experiments. According to Gilliland, Edison hired King in mid-April, after the latter's discharge from 'the Telephone Company,' presumably American Bell.
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