George Owen Squier (March 21, 1865 – March 24, 1934) was an American general, scientist, and inventor best known for inventing and popularizing what today is called Muzak.

Life and military career

Squier was born in Dryden, Michigan. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in the Class of 1887. Among his classmates who also became general officers were Frank Herman Albright, Marcus Daniel Cronin, Alexander Lucian Dade, James Theodore Dean, Charles S. Farnsworth, George Washington Gatchell, Charles Gerhardt, Herman Hall, Thomas Grafton Hanson, Mark L. Hersey, Ernest Hinds, Michael Joseph Lenihan, Ulysses G. McAlexander, Nathaniel Fish McClure, William C. Rivers, Charles Brewster Wheeler, and Edmund Wittenmyer. In 1893, Squier received a Ph.D. from

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

. He wrote and edited many books and articles on the subject of

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

and

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

. An inventor, he and Dartmouth professor Albert Cushing Crehore developed a magneto-optical streak camera "The Polarizing Photo-chronograph" in 1896 to measure the speed of projectiles both inside a cannon and directly after they left the cannon barrel. This was one of the earliest photonic programs. They also worked to develop synchronous AC telegraphic systems. His biggest contribution was that of telephone carrier multiplexing in 1910 for which he was elected to the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

in 1919. He was also an elected member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. In September 1900 Squier sailed from New York for Manila on the cable ship USAT ''Burnside''. He was in command of a 25-man Signal Corps detachment that laid the first American telegraph cables in the Philippines. As

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

to the Chief Signal Officer, U.S. Signal Corps in 1907, Squier was instrumental in the establishment of the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps, the first organizational ancestor of the U.S. Air Force. He also was the first military passenger in an airplane on September 12, 1908, and, working with the

Wright Brothers The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...

, was responsible for the purchase of the first airplanes by the US Army in 1909. From May 1916 to February 1917, he was Chief of the

Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps The Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the aerial warfare service of the United States from 1914 to 1918, and a direct statutory ancestor of the United States Air Force. It absorbed and replaced the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps, Aer ...

, the first successor of the Aeronautical Division, before being promoted to major general and appointed Chief Signal Officer during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1922, he created Wired Radio, a service which piped

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

to businesses and subscribers over wires. In 1934, he changed the service's name to ' Muzak'. Asked how to say his name, he told '' The Literary Digest'' it was pronounced like the word ''square''. He was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Death

He died in Washington, D.C., at George Washington Hospital on March 24, 1934 of pneumonia, and was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Awards

* Distinguished Service Medal * Spanish War Service Medal * Philippine Campaign Medal * World War I Victory Medal * Honorary Knight Commander of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

* Commander of the Legion of Honor (France) * Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

Dates of rank

Legacy

In 1943, the U.S. Navy named troopship in his honor. It was the lead ship of its class, which was known as of transport ships. General Squier Park, a historic district and waterpark in his hometown of Dryden, Michigan, is named in his honor.

Publications

* * *

References

External links

George O. Squier (Cullum's Register entry)

About Major General George Owen Squier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Squier, George Owen 1865 births 1934 deaths American telecommunications industry businesspeople 20th-century American inventors 19th-century United States Army personnel History of aviation Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Deaths from pneumonia in Washington, D.C. Johns Hopkins University alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) American recipients of the Legion of Honour American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni Wright brothers People from Lapeer County, Michigan Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Chief Signal Officer, U.S. Army Military personnel from Michigan Recipients of Franklin Medal Members of the American Philosophical Society