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Samuel Morse, born in 1791, was an artist and painter before becoming interested in telegraphy. He, along with Alfred Vail and Leonard Gale, developed Morse code. Morse also invented a water pump and supported charities before his death in 1872.
Born April 27, 1791, Samuel Finley Breese Morse is most widely known as the inventor of Morse code, although the code was actually developed as a joint effort by Morse, Alfred Vail and Leonard Gale. Morse showed little interest in telegraphy before 1832 and first established himself as an artist and painter in England. He was known as an accomplished portrait painter during the 1820s and continued to paint after moving to New York in 1825.
Learn more about Samuel Morse:
Morse was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts and attended Yale College, graduating in 1810. He attended the Royal Academy of Arts in London and later became a professional portrait painter.
Along with Morse code, he also invented other devices. Morse and his brother Sidney created a water pump for use in fire engines of the time, using a flexible piston design. Although the pump worked, it achieved no commercial success.
Over the next several years, Morse provided many grants to Yale and Vassar and supported many charities. He died on April 2, 1872 of pneumonia.