Charles Edison was the son of Thomas Edison, the famous inventor and entrepreneur. In 1948 Charles established the Charles Edison Fund, created to maintain the legacy of his father, Thomas Edison, and to meet his own philanthropic goals, including being a patron of the arts in New York City. The fund promotes education, specifically careers in science and technology, medical research and historic preservation. Check out our newly renovated website at CharlesEdisonFund.org.

A young man at work in his father’s labs.

The Fund also engages in licensing the Edison Intellectual property, including the name, image, quotes and artifacts of Thomas Edison ( “Edison IP”). The extra revenues generated support educational programs run by its sister foundation, Edison Innovation Foundation.

President Roosevelt appointed Charles Edison as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1937, then as Secretary in early 1940. During his time in the Navy, he advocated construction of the large Iowa-class battleships, PT boats and a streamlined system for implementing shipbuilding contracts–of great help during WWII.

Charles-Secretary of the Navy / Gov. of New Jersey

America’s greatest battleship, an Iowa-class beauty, the USS New Jersey, was launched on December 7, 1942 by Charles’s wife, Carolyn, and in honor of Charles’ work in the Navy. Resigning from the Navy, Charles campaigned and won election as Governor of New Jersey, serving from 1941-1944.
Charles was president of his father’s company Thomas A. Edison, Inc. in 1927, and ran it until it was sold in 1957, when it merged with the McGraw Electric Company to form the McGraw-Edison Electric Company.