Corliss, George Henry (1817-1888), an American engineer, helped improve the steam engine. His refinements included a more reliable governor, a device that held the engine’s speed steady by controlling the supply of steam. His improved engine helped the textile industry. The speed was so steady that machines driven by the engine had less of a tendency to break fine threads. For the Philadelphia Exposition of 1876, Corliss designed a larger engine than any that had ever been built. Corliss was born on June 2, 1817, in Easton, New York. He died on Feb. 21, 1888.
