National Electric Light Association

National Electric Light Association

NELA Logo
Successor	Edison Electric Institute
Formation	1885; 139 years ago (1885)
Founder	George S. Bowen Franklin S. Terry Charles S. Brown
Founded at	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Dissolved	February 15, 1933; 91 years ago (1933-02-15)
Type	Association
Headquarters	New York City, New York
Region	North America
Services	Publication: Bulletin (monthly) Publication: Rate Research (semi-annual) Publication: Convention Proceedings Publications: Electrical Courses Lobbying Yearly conventions Public Relations
Fields	Electric Industry
Membership (1921)	11,000
President	Yearly Term
Key people	Samuel Insull Sidney Z. Mitchell Henry L. Doherty Merlin H. Aylesworth
Subsidiaries	Mississippi Electric Assn. Northwest Electric Light & Power Assn. Pennsylvania Electric Assn. Wisconsin Electric Assn.
Affiliations	U.S. Chamber of Commerce American Electric Railway Assn. American Gas Assn. Joint Committee of National Utility Assn.

The National Electric Light Association (NELA) was a national United States trade association that included the operators of electric central power generation stations, electrical supply companies, electrical engineers, scientists, educational institutions and interested individuals. Founded in 1885 by George S. Bowen, Franklin S. Terry and Charles A. Brown, it represented the interests of private companies involved in the fledgling electric power industry that included companies like General Electric, Westinghouse and most of the country's electric companies. The NELA played a dominant role in promoting the interests and expansion of the U.S. commercial electric industry. The association's conventions became a major clearinghouse for technical papers covering the entire field of electricity and its development, with a special focus on the components needed for centralized power stations or power plants. In 1895 the association sponsored a conference that led to the issue of the first edition of the U.S. National Electrical Code. Its rapid growth mirrored the development of electricity in the U.S. that included regional and statewide affiliations across the country and Canada. It was the forerunner of the Edison Electric Institute (founded in 1933). Its highly aggressive battle against municipal ownership of electric production led to extensive federal hearings between 1928 and 1935 that led to its demise.^[1] Its logo is an early depiction of Ohm's law which is "C equals E divided by R," or "the current strength in any circuit is equal to the electromotive force divided by the resistance," or the basic law of electricity. It was established in 1827 by Dr. G. S. Ohm.