Castle Clinton National Monument

An American inventor and painter. After having established his reputation as a portrait painter, in his middle age Morse contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs. He was a co-developer of Morse code and helped to develop the commercial use of telegraphy. 

Morse met the Marquis de Lafayette in 1825 after he received a commission from the City of New York to paint the Frenchman's portrait during his last visit to the United States. They developed a friendship that lasted until Lafayette's death in 1834. This note from Lafayette, in which he refers to Morse as his "dear friend," conveys the warm friendship the two men shared.

Greenwood cemetery

Residence - Locust Grove

This map reveals the status of the telegraph network as it existed in the U.S. in 1853, only nine years after the first message. By this time, only one state east of the Mississippi, Florida, was not connected by telegraph. The legend on the left offers the list of message rates from Pittsburgh. By 1861, telegraph lines crossed the American continent; by 1866, the transatlantic cable connected America and Europe.&nbsp;

The significance of the telegraph was something Morse foresaw, and he knew how the technology would have to be handled to prevent misuse. He also earned great accolades from around the world for his invention. This map was published 9 years after the first message was sent.

Probably one of the most famous of Morse's many daguerreotype students, Brady has called him the “first successful introducer of this rare art in America”.

Samuel Morse