(born April 4, 1823, Lenthe, Prussia—died Nov. 19, 1883, London, Eng.) German-born British engineer and inventor. He immigrated to Britain in 1844. In 1861 he patented the open-hearth furnace (see open-hearth process), which was soon being widely used in steelmaking and eventually replaced the earlier Bessemer process. He also made a reputation and a fortune in the steel cable and telegraph industries and was a principal in the company that laid the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable (1866). His three brothers were also eminent engineers and industrialists (see Siemens AG).

Learn more about Siemens, Sir (Charles) William with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born April 4, 1823, Lenthe, Prussia—died Nov. 19, 1883, London, Eng.) German-born British engineer and inventor. He immigrated to Britain in 1844. In 1861 he patented the open-hearth furnace (see open-hearth process), which was soon being widely used in steelmaking and eventually replaced the earlier Bessemer process. He also made a reputation and a fortune in the steel cable and telegraph industries and was a principal in the company that laid the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable (1866). His three brothers were also eminent engineers and industrialists (see Siemens AG).

Learn more about Siemens, Sir (Charles) William with a free trial on Britannica.com.