Samuel F.B. Morse Family Tree & History, Ancestry & Genealogy

He first and foremost wished to be a painter and studied in London with a number of British masters including artis Benjamin West. In 1815 he set up his own studio in Boston, USA. He was commissioned to paint portraits of the Marquis de Lafayette and George Washington. 

After meeting the onventor Charles Thomas Jackson in 1832, Morse became intrigued by electronic pulses and how they may be carried along a wire over long distances. After studying the work of American physicist Joseph Henry, Morse developed a prototype of the telegraph between 1832 and 1835. He received it's patent in 1847.

In 1838, Morse formed a partnership with fellow inventor Alfred Vail, who contributed funds and helped develop the system of dots and dashes for sending signals that would eventually become known as Morse code. After winning a $30,000 congressional grant to develop this work, Morse tapped out his now-famous first message, "What hath God wrought!" on May 24 1844.