"From its outset in 1912, founder Frederick G. Cottrell expected Research Corporation to function as a philanthropic organization as well as a business. His intent was to see if public service could be given precedence over profit making. This book analyzes both the engineering and philanthropic efforts of Research Corporation's formative years. And because its establishment involved so many other organizations, studying its early history affords an opportunity to survey the beginnings of organized research and philanthropy in early twentieth-century America"--back cover.