Francis Ormand Jonathan Smith

Lore & Background

Samuel Morse approached Smith seeking support for a congressional grant to build an experimental telegraph line. Smith became Morse's counsel, publicity man, and promotional agent, and was taken into partnership in 1838 with a quarter interest in the patent. Smith furnished funds for Morse's trip to Europe to seek patent rights there, and authored the bill that appropriated $30,000 for the Washington–Baltimore line—possibly the first instance of government support to a private researcher for applied research. Relations between the two men soured quickly due to Smith's frequent unfounded claims against Morse. In a letter, Morse expressed a wish for 'entire separation from that unprincipled man,' citing frauds Smith had committed on others. Smith was contractor for construction of the line, which got off to a bad start; when failure was expected, Smith threatened to sue Morse for reimbursement of construction expenses. Smith also contracted for the New York and Boston Magnetic Telegraph, which opened June 27, 1846, but performed poorly. He then shifted attention to the Northwest, where Ezra Cornell and John James Speed became his agents for the Morse patent in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. They organized the Erie and Michigan line connecting Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee, but due to patent disputes Smith lost control; his dream of a western telegraph empire ended when the directors of that company failed to issue him stock. Smith then organized the New York and Erie Telegraph south of Morse's line, but that line was unsuccessful and went bankrupt. Before the trans-Atlantic cable, Smith played a strategic role in forwarding the latest European news to northeast newspapers when ships docked in Halifax before sailing to Boston and New York.

Reader's Guide

Smith's significance lies in his dual role as a political figure and a financier who helped launch the electric telegraph in the United States. As a congressman, he authored the bill that provided the first government funding for an applied research project—the $30,000 Washington–Baltimore telegraph line. This funding is considered a landmark in government support of private research. His partnership with Morse gave him a quarter interest in the patent, and he acted as contractor for the first line and for subsequent lines in New England and the Northwest. However, his legacy is complicated by the bitter falling-out with Morse, who accused him of fraud and unprincipled behavior. Smith's later ventures—the New York and Boston Magnetic Telegraph, the Erie and Michigan line, and the New York and Erie Telegraph—were plagued by poor performance, patent disputes, and bankruptcy. Despite these failures, his strategic role in forwarding European news from Halifax to U.S. newspapers before the trans-Atlantic cable demonstrates his continued influence in telegraphy. His tomb is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Did You Know?

• Smith was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine and served three terms from 1833 to 1839.
• Smith held a quarter interest in Samuel Morse's telegraph patent.
• He is buried in the F.O.J. Smith Tomb, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.