Arguably the first US patent for a transistor, specifically the field effect transistor, was awarded in 1926 to Julius Lilienfeld, though the invention was not

Arguably the first US patent for a transistor, specifically the field effect transistor, was awarded in 1926 to Julius Lilienfeld, though the invention was not implemented back then. The later developers of transistors (Shockley, et.al.) built model devices using the ideas in these patents though never referenced or credited Lilienfeld's work. However, the later work was taken in a different direction and avoided conflict with the earlier patents. Lilienfeld went on to invent the electrolytic capacitor in 1931 when he was 51 years old. He was 44 years old when he patented the FET. This is very much in line with the other data.