Lewis Urry, 77, Developed Alkaline Battery

Staff On Dec 6 2004 - 8:00am

“Father” of the alkaline battery, Lewis Urry, 77, died here early in November, following a short illness.

Urry, who retired last spring from battery maker Energizer, successor-company to Union Carbide's National Carbon, developed the first practical long-life battery in the 1950s, when he came up with a long-lasting alkaline battery using powdered zinc as the electrolyte. This cell replaced carbon zinc batteries, which had a shorter power life. National Carbon was known for its Eveready-brand batteries.

An estimated 80 percent of the dry-cell batteries in the world today are based on Urry's work. He held 50 patents.