George Westinghouse nasceu o 6 de outubro de 1846 em Nova Iorque, EUA. Foi casado com Marguerite Erskine Walker. Morreu o 12 de março de 1914 em Nova Iorque, Nova Iorque, EUA.
Enlisted at age 17 as a private in a New York cavalry regiment during the US Civil War. The next year he passed a special mechanical examination and was made an officer in the Navy.