The 'watt', the word used to describe a unit of power, takes its name from this Greenock-born inventor and engineer. His improvements to Newcomen's engine entitle him to be considered the father of the steam engine as a practical industrial tool. After working in Glasgow, he entered into partnership with Matthew Boulton at the Soho Works and became part of the group of clever, practical, men based around Birmingham, who included Josiah Wedgwood and Joseph Priestly.