He once said, "To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk" (6)

I believe the answer is:

edison

(Other definitions for edison that I've seen before include "scientist" , "US scientist/inventor" , "Thomas Alva -, US inventor" , "Inventor with over 1,000 US patents to his name, d. 1931" , "The inventor is strangely onside" .)

I've seen this clue in The Washington Post.

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