Born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England, in 1850 to a merchant family, Weston first studied medicine but grew interested in chemistry. He emigrated to the United States after receiving his medical diploma in 1870. He then found a job in the electroplating industry. He saw the need for a constant source of current. He developed an interest in power generation and invented several dynamos and generators. He eventually co-founded the Weston Electric Light Company in Newark, New Jersey and later got the contract to light the Brooklyn Bridge. Weston was a founding member of the board of trustees of what later became the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Some of his inventions, instruments, and writings are maintained at the university's library and at its Weston Museum. Weston was president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers from 1888-89.