Bell Telephone Company
American telecommunications firm / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Bell Telephone Company was the initial corporate entity from which the Bell System originated to build a continental conglomerate and monopoly in telecommunication services in the United States and Canada.
Company type | Public |
---|---|
Industry | Telecommunications |
Founded | July 9, 1877; 147 years ago (1877-07-09) |
Founders |
|
Defunct | 1899 |
Fate | Merged assets with AT&T |
Headquarters |
The company was organized in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 9, 1877, by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who also helped organize the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company. A common law joint-stock company, the Bell Telephone Company was started on the basis of holding "potentially valuable patents", principally Bell's master telephone patent #174465.[2] Upon inception, Hubbard was installed as trustee, although he was additionally the company's de facto president, since he also controlled his daughter's shares by power of attorney. Thomas Sanders, its principal financial backer, was treasurer.[3]
Bell Telephone and New England Telephone merged on February 17, 1879, to form two new entities, the National Bell Telephone Company of Boston, and the International Bell Telephone Company. International Bell became headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.[4][5][6] Theodore Vail took over its operations, becoming a central figure in its rapid growth and commercial success.
The National Bell Telephone Company merged with American Speaking Telephone Company on March 20, 1880, to form the American Bell Telephone Company, also of Boston, Massachusetts.[7] The American Bell Telephone Company evolved into the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world.