Charles Sumner Tainter
Charles Sumner Tainter | |
|---|---|
Charles Sumner Tainter c.1886 | |
| Born | April 25, 1854 Watertown, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | April 20, 1940 (aged 85) San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Photophone, phonograph Father of the Speaking Machine |
| Spouse(s) | Lila R. Munro, 1886 Laura F. Onderdonk, 1928 |
Charles Sumner Tainter (April 25, 1854 – April 20, 1940) was an American scientific instrument maker, engineer and inventor, best known for his collaborations with Alexander Graham Bell, Chichester Bell, Alexander's father-in-law Gardiner Hubbard, and for his significant improvements to Thomas Edison's phonograph, resulting in the Graphophone, one version of which was the first Dictaphone.
Later in his career Tainter was associated with the International Graphopone Company of West Virginia, and also managed his own research and development laboratory, earning him the title: 'Father Of The Talking Machine' (i.e.: father of the phonograph).