Edmund Germer was a German inventor recognized as the father of the fluorescent lamp. He applied for a patent with Friedrich Meyer and Hans J. Spanner on December 10, 1926, which led to U.S. Patent 2,182,732. The patent was later purchased by the General Electric Company, which also licensed his patent on the high-pressure mercury-vapor lamp.
Edmund Germer (1901 - 1987) invented a high pressure vapor lamp, his development of the improved fluorescent lamp and the high-pressure mercury-vapor lamp allowed for more economical lighting with less heat. Edmund Germer was born in Berlin, Germany, and educated at the University of Berlin, earning a doctorate in lighting technology. Together with Friedrich Meyer and Hans Spanner, Edmund Germer patented an experimental fluorescent lamp in 1927.
Edmund Germer is credited by some historians as being the inventor of the first true fluorescent lamp. However,it can be argued that fluorescent lamps have a long history of development prior to Germer.