Sebastian de Ferranti – Electrical engineering pioneer and enthusiastic patentee

•Inventor's extensive patent output identified and discussed.•Success and failures of firms he created explained.•Wider perspectives on the inventor explored.•Conclusion: while not an academic, he was a brilliant technical innovator.

Sebastian de Ferranti (1864–1930) was largely self taught but became an outstanding GB practical engineer from his late teens. His innovations were particularly important to the development of the electric power supply industry which eventually fulfilled his vision of the “all electric future”. He also founded the successful R & D driven company that bore his name and was a prolific and successful patentee in a very wide range of technical fields.