Elisha Gray

Elisha Gray (August 2, 1835 – January 21, 1901) is an American electrical engineer who co-founds the Western Electric Manufacturing Company.

Gray is best known for his development of a telephone prototype in 1876 in Highland Park, Illinois

Some recent authors have argued that Gray should be considered the true inventor of the telephone because Alexander Graham Bell allegedly stole the idea of the liquid transmitter from him, although Gray had been using liquid transmitters in his telephone experiments for more than two years previously.

Bell's telephone patent is upheld in numerous court decisions.

Gray is also considered to be the father of the modern music synthesizer, and is granted over seventy patents for his inventions.

He is one of the founders of Graybar (the forerunner of the Western Electric Company), purchasing a controlling interest in the company shortly after its inception.

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