A veteran of the Civil War, George Baldwin Selden became a patent attorney in 1871. Having a keen interest in mechanics, Selden unsuccessfully experimented with engines of his own design during the years 1873-1875. By 1876, he was working on the design for a self-propelled vehicle using an engine operating on the Brayton cycle. Selden had developed a three-cylinder-Brayton type engine by 1877, and proceeded to design the road locomotive disclosed in his patent application of May 8, 1879. Although never successful in obtaining the funds to build the proposed machine, Selden was granted his patent?No. 549,160 “Road Machine” Nov. 5, 1895. On Nov. 4, 1899, he sold the patent on a royalty basis to W. C. Whitney of Columbia Electric who successfully brought suit against a number of automobile manufacturers before the now historic appeal judgment Jan. 11, 1911 (Electric Vehicle Company vs. C. A. Buerr) wherein the patent was held valid but not infringed by virtue of the fact that all manufacturers were using Otto, not Brayton, type engines. Selden unsuccessfully entered other auto firms before his death.