Joshua Lionel Cowen (; August 25, 1877 – September 8, 1965) was an American inventor and cofounder of the Lionel Corporation, a manufacturer of model railroads and toy trains who gained prominence in the market before and after World War II.
Early life
Joshua Lionel Cohen was born in Queens, New York City on August 25, 1877 to Hyman Nathan Cohen and his wife Rebecca (née Kantrowitz) Cohen; he had eight siblings. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Germany.
Cohen had built his first toy train at age seven, attaching a small steam engine to a wooden locomotive he had carved. The engine exploded, damaging his parents' kitchen. He studied at Columbia University and the City College of New York.
Business career
Cohen received his first patent in 1899, for a device that ignited a photographer's flash. The same year, he was awarded a defense contract from the United States Navy to produce mine fuses, earning $12,000.
Lionel Corporation
Cohen and his associate Harry Grant founded Lionel Corporation in New York City in 1900. Sources disagree on what inspired this action. According to The New York Times, he devised a battery-powered fan for his shop, then connected the fan's motor to a small model train. A Manhattan shopkeeper bought Cowen's first electric train in 1901 and used it as a storefront display. After customers indicated that they wanted to buy the display, the shopkeeper bought six more trains.
After expanding the production of toy trains and building his business, in 1910 Cohen legally changed his surname to "Cowen", to avoid anti-semitism.