Samuel Morse Introduction

Samuel Morse was born on April 27, 1791 in Charleston, Massachusetts. Samuel Morse invented and perfected the telegraph. He also invented Morse code which was used along with the telegraph. Samuel Morse was a famous painter as well.


Samuel Morse


Samuel Morse went to Yale University to study electricity. After he graduated he went to an art school. Art was Samuel's true passion. While Morse was at art school he won a gold medal for his one and only sculpture. Samuel Morse accomplished many things during his career as an artist. He painted poets, presidents and even Marquis de Lafayette. Samuel also founded the National Academy of Design in 1826. He was the first president of this academy.

Samuel continued to study art and in 1832 he became a professor at New York University. He became a successful painter. Morse hoped to paint historical murals in the Capitol building in Washington D.C. but, he was not allowed to paint the murals. Samuel became extremely frustrated. After 1837 Samuel Morse did not paint again.

Morse was in great need of money so he turned to inventing. Some of Samuel's first inventions were fire engine pumps, marble cutting machines, and his most famous the telegraph used with Morse code.

Samuel had been interested in electricity and he was talking over his idea of the telegraph with some people and they thought it was a good idea. Unfortunately, Samuel didn't have enough money to build his telegraph he also didn't have the knowledge needed to complete the telegraph. A friend of Samuel's, Leonard Gale, offered to help him. Samuel still needed money. Between 1840-1842 he was given a patent and $30,000 by Congress to build a test line between Baltimore and Washington D.C.. The first message on his telegraph was made on May 24, 1844. It said, "What hath God wrought!" which means, look at what God has done.

Later in his life, Samuel went into politics. He was the Vice President of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Samuel Morse finally became a wealthy man. The telegraph honored him with a statue in Central Park in New York City in 1871. Samuel Morse died a year later.


Original Samuel Morse telegraph


Mrs. Daniel de Saussure Bacot, an example of Morse's portraiture

Content from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_F._B._Morse
http://www.macarthurschool.org/projects/chee/livezey.html