Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 –August 2, 1922) was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone.Bell's father, grandfather, and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech, and both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell's life's work.His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first US patent for the telephone in 1876.In retrospect, Bell considered his most famous invention an intrusion on his real work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study.
Many other inventions marked Bell's later life, including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics. In 1888, Alexander Graham Bell became one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society.Bell has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history.
Alexander Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on March 3, 1847.The family home was at 16 South Charlotte Street, and has a stone inscription, marking it as Alexander Graham Bell's birthplace. He had two brothers: Melville James Bell (1845–70) and Edward Charles Bell (1848–67). Both of his brothers died of tuberculosis.His father was Professor Alexander Melville Bell, and his mother was Eliza Grace (née Symonds).Although he was born "Alexander", at age 10, he made a plea to his father to have a middle name like his two brothers.For his 11th birthday, his father acquiesced and allowed him to adopt the middle name "Graham", chosen out of admiration for Alexander Graham, a Canadian being treated by his father and boarder who had become a family friend.To close relatives and friends he remained "Aleck" which his father continued to call him into later life.
On July 11, 1877, a few days after the Bell Telephone Company was established, Bell married Mabel Hubbard (1857–1923) at the Hubbard estate in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His wedding present to his bride was to turn over 1,487 of his 1,497 shares in the newly created Bell Telephone Company.Shortly thereafter, the newlyweds embarked on a year-long honeymoon in Europe. During that excursion, Alec took a handmade model of his telephone with him, making it a "working holiday". The courtship had begun years earlier, however Alexander waited until he was more financially secure before marrying. Although the telephone appeared to be an "instant" success, it was not initially a profitable venture and Bell's main sources of income were from lectures until after 1897.One unusual request exacted by his fiancée was that he use "Alec" rather than the family's earlier familiar name of "Aleck." From 1876, he would sign his name "Alec Bell." They had four children: Elsie May Bell (1878–1964) who married Gilbert Grosvenor of National Geographic fame,Marian Hubbard Bell (1880–1962) who was referred to as "Daisy",and two sons who died in infancy. The Bell family home was located in Cambridge, Massachusetts until 1880 when Bell's father-in-law bought a house in Washington, D.C., and later in 1882 bought a home in the same city for Bell's family, so that they could be with him while he attended to the numerous court cases involving patent disputes.
Bell was a British subject throughout his early life in Scotland and later in Canada until 1882, when he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. In 1915, he characterized his status as: "I am not one of those hyphenated Americans who claim allegiance to two countries."Despite this declaration, Bell has been proudly claimed as a "native son" by all three countries he resided in: the United States, Canada and Scotland.
Biography | |
| Born | March 3, 1847 Edinburgh, Scotland, UK |
| Died | August 2, 1922 (aged 75) Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Cause of death | Complications from diabetes |
| Education | University of Edinburgh University College London |
| Occupation | Inventor Scientist Engineer Professor (Boston University) Teacher of tde deaf |
| Known for | Inventing tde Telephone |
| Spouse | Mabel Hubbard (married 1877–1922) |
| Children | (4) Two sons who died in infancy and two daughters |
| Parents | Alexander Melville Bell Eliza Grace Symonds Bell |
| Relatives | Gardiner Greene Hubbard (fatder-in-law) Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor (son-in-law) Melville Bell Grosvenor (grandson) Gilbert Melville Grosvenor (great-grandson) Chichester Bell (cousin) |
| Signature |  |