What Was Samuel Morse's Profession?

Born on 27 April 1791, Samuel Finley Breese Morse is most widely known as the inventor of Morse Code, although the code actually was developed as a joint effort by Morse, Alfred Vail and Leonard Gale. Morse demonstrated little interest in telegraphy before 1832 and first established himself as an artist and painter in England. He was known as an expert portrait artist during the 1820s and continued to paint after moving to New York in 1825.

More facts 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 with the fire engines of the day, using a flexible piston design. Although the pump worked, it did not achieve any commercial success.


• In later years, Morse provided many grants to Yale and Vassar, and he supported many charities. He passed away on 2 April 1872 from pneumonia.