Alexander M. Nicolson

Alexander McLean Nicolson (1880/1881 – February 3, 1950)^[1] was an American scientist and engineer, most notable for inventing the first crystal oscillator, using a piece of Rochelle salt in 1917 while working at Western Electric. He then filed a patent the following year.^[2] His priority was later disputed by Walter Guyton Cady, who invented the first quartz crystal oscillator in 1921.^[3]

His surname is sometimes spelled Nicholson in later sources.^[4]

Career

Nicolson worked for Western Electric and AT&T among other industrial and telecommunication companies. He was active in research on piezoelectricity, radio communication, and television during the 1910s and 1920s.^[1]

In addition to the crystal oscillator, Nicolson received patents for several other devices, including early television transmission systems (1923) and numerous radio accessories. His work led contemporaries to describe him as a "video pioneer."^[1]

Inventions and patents

1918 – Patent filed for a crystal-controlled oscillator using Rochelle salt (granted 1940).^[2]
1923 – Patent related to television image transmission.^[1]
Several other patents on radio and acoustic devices assigned to Western Electric.

Legacy

Nicolson’s 1917 oscillator was the first practical demonstration of piezoelectric frequency control.^[5] Although Walter Guyton Cady’s quartz oscillator (1921) became more commercially influential, later surveys of frequency control and time measurement cite Nicolson’s work as an important precursor in the development of modern electronics.^[4]

Death

Nicolson died in New York City on February 3, 1950, at the age of 69.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "A. M'L. Nicolson, Video Pioneer, 69; Recipient of Television Patent in 1923 Is Dead—Invented Many Radio Accessories". 1950-02-04. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
^ ^a ^b Nicolson, Alexander M. Generating and transmitting electric currents U.S. patent 2,212,845, filed April 10, 1918, granted August 27, 1940.
^ Bottom, Virgil E. (1981). "A history of the quartz crystal industry in the USA". Proc. 35th Frequency Control Symp. IEEE. Archived from the original on 2008-09-20.
^ ^a ^b Hackman, Christine; Sullivan, Donald B. (26 August 1994). "Resource Letter: TFM-1: Time and frequency measurement" (PDF). Time and Frequency Division. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado: 1–2. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
^ Marrison, Warren A. (July 1948). "The evolution of the quartz crystal clock". The Bell System Technical Journal. 27 (3): 534. doi:10.1002/j.1538-7305.1948.tb01343.x. ISSN 0005-8580.

[NYT1950-1] "A. M'L. Nicolson, Video Pioneer, 69; Recipient of Television Patent in 1923 Is Dead—Invented Many Radio Accessories". 1950-02-04. Retrieved 2025-09-27.

[Nicolson-2] Nicolson, Alexander M. Generating and transmitting electric currents U.S. patent 2,212,845, filed April 10, 1918, granted August 27, 1940.

[Bottom1981-3] Bottom, Virgil E. (1981). "A history of the quartz crystal industry in the USA". Proc. 35th Frequency Control Symp. IEEE. Archived from the original on 2008-09-20.

[Hackman-4] Hackman, Christine; Sullivan, Donald B. (26 August 1994). "Resource Letter: TFM-1: Time and frequency measurement" (PDF). Time and Frequency Division. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado: 1–2. Retrieved 2016-01-05.

[5] Marrison, Warren A. (July 1948). "The evolution of the quartz crystal clock". The Bell System Technical Journal. 27 (3): 534. doi:10.1002/j.1538-7305.1948.tb01343.x. ISSN 0005-8580.

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