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Articles in regional publications that pertain to a wide range of North Carolina-related topics.

The Man Who Made Electricity Talk

Record #:
8400
Author(s):
Abstract:
Junius L. Clemmons, a native of Clemmonsville, developed a system of dots and dashes that could be sent through copper wire. Clemmons developed his communications device in 1833 and sent the design to a Mr. Page, who was a professional electrician in Washington, D.C. Clemmons never heard back from Page. In 1837, Clemmons read a newspaper article that told of Samuel Morse and Page creating a telegraph system. Clemmons then discovered that Page worked in the U.S. Patent Office and could not issue a patent to himself. Page, therefore, used his friend, Samuel Morse, and earned a patent to the telegraph. Clemmons wrote an article in the Washington Globe claiming that he was the true inventor of the telegraph. Page admitted receiving Clemmons design, but he denied copying it. Clemmons forgave Page for his betrayal and enjoyed a successful law firm in Kentucky, becoming the oldest practicing lawyer in the nation before his death.
Source:
The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 52 Issue 11, Apr 1985, p11, por