George Corliss. Portrait of George Henry Corliss (1817-88), American engineer. Corliss worked in several jobs before designing a sewing machine. He approached an engineering company with plans to produce it; instead they offered him a job working with steam engines. In 1848 (patented in 1849) Corliss invented a cut-off mechanism linked to the governor of a steam engine. This allowed the maximum expansion for any load and revolutionised steam engine design. Corliss made further improvements to his engine design, receiving six further patents, the last in 1880. He also ran his own business, the Corliss Engine Company, which grew until it employed over 1000 people.