Western Union
Founded as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company by Hiram Sibley, Samuel Selden and others, and renamed Western Union in 1856 to reflect the union of the nation's telegraph lines.
Founded1851
HeadquartersRochester, NY
IndustryTelegraphy
Western Union Telegraph Building, New York · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Overview
It dominated American telegraphy for over a century before pivoting to money transfer.
Founders
Hiram Sibley and Samuel Selden
Founded 1851 (renamed Western Union 1856)
Landmark Achievements
- Completed the first transcontinental telegraph line in 1861, ending the Pony Express and revolutionizing long-distance communication.
- Launched the first stock ticker (1866), standardized time service (1870), and the first wire money-transfer service (1871).
- By 1900 operated a million miles of telegraph lines; was one of the original 11 stocks in the first Dow Jones average (1884).
Western Union's place in the story
Continue through the chronicle — the builders of American technology, in founding order.