Nathaniel Shepard Keith (July 14, 1838[1] – January 27, 1925) was an American manufacturer, chemist, inventor, writer, and electrical engineer.
He was instrumental in designing, manufacturing, and installing the original electric lighting and power system in San Francisco, California.
In 1860, at age 22, he followed the Pikes Peak Gold Rush to Colorado where he spent nearly a decade mining and milling in the Central City-Blackhawk area.
Although the "Keith Process" of ore crushing and smelting worked in the laboratory, he failed to perfect the system on an industrial scale.
He was active in professional organizations, being a co-founder of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and editor and founder of Electronic World.
[5] He married Anna Tait Swan in New York in 1860 and all three of their daughters were born in Black Hawk, Colorado—Virginia (1862), Harriet (1866), and Elma (1867).