[4] Born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England, in 1850 to a merchant family, Weston originally studied medicine but soon became interested in chemistry.

[4] He emigrated to the United States after receiving his medical diploma in 1870, where he found a job in the electroplating industry.

He eventually co-founded the Weston Electric Light Company in Newark, New Jersey and later won the contract to illuminate the Brooklyn Bridge.

[2] When in 1882 it was absorbed by the United States Electric Lighting Company he became its chief electrician for four years before resigning to conduct his own research.

In 1888 he formed the Weston Electrical Instrument Corporation which would become famous for its voltmeters, ammeters, wattmeters, ohmmeters, frequency meters, transformers, and transducers.