Bill Marr: Inventor of the Marrette®

Curiosity at the service of safety

At the turn of the 20th century, Bill P. Marr, a young Scotsman who had just arrived in Canada, had no idea that his ability to challenge the status quo would revolutionize the electrical industry.

While working as an electrician on the conversion of residential gas lighting to electric lighting, he found that the method of connecting wires together was tedious and dangerous. Electricians first had to buff the conductors before twisting them together to make the connection. The connection was then immersed in a molten solder bath, removed and allowed to cool, and then wrapped with insulating tape.

With a desire to do things differently, he set to work in his home’s basement workshop to find an alternative to the then current connection method. That is how the first pressure wire connector, branded “Marrette”, was created in 1914.

With over a century of history, this connector is now recognized everywhere, and it comes in many varieties. In recent decades, Bill Marr's legacy of innovation has continued with the creation of the Black® series - the first twisted models - including the Marrette 30, Marrette 31, Marrette 33 and Marrette 35 that are still sold today.

The XTP series was then developed and with it came color coding of the wire connectors. Several other innovations have been introduced over time. Most recently, ABB launched the PRO-BLU™ 933™, an ergonomic and versatile model with wings.