 | This article is missing information about Vail's career as the founder and president of AT&T. (May 2024) |
Theodore Newton Vail | |
|---|---|
 Vail in 1913 | |
| 4th President of American Telephone & Telegraph | |
| In office 1907–1919 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick Perry Fish |
| Succeeded by | Harry Bates Thayer |
| 1st President of American Telephone & Telegraph | |
| In office 1885–1889 | |
| Preceded by | Inaugural holder |
| Succeeded by | John Elbridge Hudson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 16, 1845 Malvern, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | April 16, 1920 (aged 74) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Emma Righter
(m. 1869; died 1905) |
Theodore Newton Vail (July 16, 1845 – April 16, 1920) was an American businessman who served as the general manager of Bell Telephone Company from 1878 to 1887 and became the founding president of American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885.[1][2] Vail viewed telephone service as a public utility and moved to consolidate telephone networks under the Bell system. In 1913 he oversaw the Kingsbury Commitment that led to a more open system for connection.
- ^ Abate, Frank R., ed. (1999). The Oxford Desk Dictionary of People and Places. Oxford University Press. p. 386. ISBN 0-19-513872-4. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ Russell, Andrew L. (2014). Open Standards and the Digital Age: History, Ideology, and Networks. Cambridge University Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-107-03919-3.