Willis Carrier

Lore & Background

Willis Haviland Carrier was born on November 26, 1876, in Angola, New York, to Duane Williams Carrier and Elizabeth R. Haviland. He graduated from Angola Academy in 1894 and Buffalo High School in 1897, then studied at Cornell University, earning a Master of Engineering degree in 1901. After graduation, he joined the Buffalo Forge Company as a research engineer.

On July 17, 1902, in response to a humidity problem at the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing & Publishing Company in Brooklyn, Carrier submitted drawings for the first modern air conditioning system. The system controlled humidity, temperature, air circulation, and air cleansing. He received U.S. patent 808,897 in 1906 for a spray-type air conditioning apparatus. In 1911, he presented "Rational Psychrometric Formulae," which tied together relative humidity, absolute humidity, and dew-point temperature.

In 1915, after the Buffalo Forge Company decided to focus solely on manufacturing, Carrier and six other young engineers pooled $32,600 to form the Carrier Engineering Corporation in New York. The company later merged with other firms in 1930 to become the Carrier Corporation, with Carrier as chairman. He moved the company to Syracuse, New York, in 1937. Carrier died on October 7, 1950, and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.

Reader's Guide

Willis Carrier's invention of the first electrical air conditioning unit in 1902 addressed a specific industrial problem—humidity affecting color printing—but its impact extended far beyond. By establishing that air conditioning must control temperature, humidity, air circulation, and air cleanliness, he set the standard for the field. His 1911 Rational Psychrometric Formulae provided the theoretical foundation for designing precise air conditioning systems, earning it the nickname "Magna Carta of Psychrometrics."

Carrier's founding of the Carrier Corporation in 1915 created a company that would dominate the HVAC industry for decades. Despite financial difficulties during the Great Depression, the company survived and grew, becoming a major employer in Syracuse. The post-World War II economic boom saw air conditioning become widespread in American homes and businesses, revolutionizing summer productivity and comfort. Carrier's legacy includes the Willis H. Carrier Total Indoor Environmental Quality Lab at Syracuse University, established in 2010. The Carrier Corporation remained a world leader in HVAC until its spin-off from United Technologies Corporation in 2020.

Did You Know?

• Carrier's first air conditioning system was designed to solve a humidity problem at a lithographing company in Brooklyn, where paper expanded and shrank in summer.
• He presented the 'Rational Psychrometric Formulae' in 1911, which became known as the 'Magna Carta of Psychrometrics.'
• Carrier founded the Carrier Engineering Corporation in 1915 with six other engineers, pooling $32,600 in life savings.
• He was a trustee of Cornell University at the time of his death.