Joseph Barker Stearns was the

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an id ...

of the

duplex Duplex (Latin, 'double') may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Duplex'' (film), or ''Our House'', a 2003 American black comedy film * Duplex (band), a Dutch electronic music duo * Duplex (Norwegian duo) * Duplex!, a Canadian children's music ...

system of

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

Biography

Stearns was the son of Edward Ray and Eliza Tyler Barker Stearns of

Weld, Maine Weld is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 376 at the 2020 census. Set beside Webb Lake and almost surrounded by mountains, Weld is noted for its scenic beauty. It is home to Mount Blue State Park, Camp Kawanhe ...

. As a youth, he worked on a farm. He studied telegraphy at

Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The m ...

, where he became manager of the office. From 1855 to 1869, he was superintendent of the Fire Alarm Telegraph Company of Boston, Massachusetts and was the first to take out patents on the use of reversed currents in connection with the fire alarm signal system. He was president of Franklin Telegraph Co., from 1869 to 1871, during which time he invented the first practical system of duplex telegraphy which was successfully applied to the English, French and Belgian lines. Two years later this system was used for the Atlantic cables. He sold rights under his duplex patents to the Western Union Telegraph and Cable Companies, receiving large royalties for the use of his inventions from governments in

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and

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, and several submarine cable companies. From 1879 to 1880, he was employed as engineer by the Mexican Telegraph Company in making, laying, and putting into operation the cables of that company between

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Gal ...

, and

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

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. In 1881, he performed a similar service for the Central and South American Telegraph Company, whose cables extended from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico to

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists of the whole Call ...

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, in all between 4,000 and 5,000 miles. This work he completed in 1882. He retired from active business in 1885 and settled in Camden, Maine. There he had a library of 10,000 volumes, and a collection of

Chiriquí Province Chiriquí () is a province of Panama located on the western coast; it is the second most developed province in the country, after the Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km², with a population ...

pottery, which was exhibited at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

in Washington, D.C. He also had a collection of carved ivories which was exhibited at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 100 ...

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. He died in Camden.

Family

He had eight children. He got married on January 8, 1853, to Lois M. Brooks of Putney, Vermont (born June 4, 1827; died July 29, 1861, in South Boston), then married Frances Amanda Edmonds of Portsmouth, New Hampshire (born January 16, 1838) on June 6, 1866.

Honors

In 1872, the

American Institute American Institute may refer to: * American Institute of the City of New York The American Institute of the City of New York, or, The American Institute of the City of New York for the Encouragement of Science and Invention was a civic organiza ...

of New York awarded him the Great Medal of Honor for the invention of the duplex telegraph.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stearns, Joseph Barker American electrical engineers 19th-century American inventors People associated with electricity People from Camden, Maine 1831 births 1895 deaths Telegraphy