Harold Pitney Brown (August 27, 1869 -July 26, 1932 Malden, Massachusetts) was the American credited with building the original electric chair based on the design by Dr. Alfred P. Southwick. He was hired by Thomas Edison to help develop the chair after he wrote an editorial to the New York Post describing how a young boy was killed after accidentally touching an exposed telegraph wire using alternating current. Prior to working with Edison, Brown labored as a salesperson for the Western Electric Company and the Brush Electric Company, selling electrical devices, most notably Edison s electric pen. However, the ambitious Brown aspired to be more than a salesman. Edison was his role model. Still, with little formal training in the field of science or invention, Brown failed in securing several patents of his own. His golden opportunity came during the hey-day of the electric wars between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC).