Born August 2, 1835 – January 21, 1901 Patent #: 461,470 Elisha
Gray invented numerous improvements in the telegraph and
telephone industries, including the teleautograph, a forerunner
of the modern day fax Born in Barnesville, Ohio, Gray had
developed an interest in telegraphic communication from an early
age and built a working prototype at age ten, less than a year
after the first telegraph line was erected. After attending
Oberlin College for two years, Gray established himself as an
electrician while simultaneously designing and inventing various
telegraphic devices, including a telegraphic relay in 1867 that
won him patronage from Western Union. Gray subsequently became a
founder of the Western Electric Manufacturing Company, which
manufactured telegraphic instruments. In 1875, Gray sold his
share of Western Electric to become a full time inventor.