1SG George Willard Coy, USA

George Willard Coy was an American mechanic, inventor and entrepreneur. He ran the first commercial telephone exchange in 1878 and was involved in the production of the first telephone directory.

Civil War service

Inscription; 1st SERGT. CO. D. 56 REGT. MASS. VOL. INF.

Coy, George W. BATTLE UNIT NAME: 56th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry SIDE: Union COMPANY: D
SOLDIER'S RANK IN: Private SOLDIER'S RANK OUT: Sergeant ALTERNATE NAME: FILM NUMBER: M544 ROLL 9 PLAQUE NUMBER: NOTES: General Note - See also Henry/Wilsie 3 U.S. Art.

Telephone inventions

On January 28, 1878, the first telephone switchboard went into operation in New Haven, Connecticut. It was set up by Coy, Herrick P. Frost, and Walter Lewis and with an investment of $600; the switching equipment was developed and built by Coy. The company was named District Telephone Company of New Haven. Coy took over the switching operation and thus became the world's first operator, Frost the first salaried operator. Eight telephone lines were available to the company's initial 21 customers. After Lewis left, Coy and Frost sold a blocking minority to the investor as capital requirements increased. The Southern New England Telephone Company was formed from the company in 1882.

Coy was involved in the publication of the world's first telephone directory on February 21, 1878. It consisted of a single sheet of paper and contained 50 names. It was produced by Coy and the District Telephone Company financiers.

The above incorporates text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.

Sources

• "1SGT George Willard Coy." FindAGrave, published 15 January 2010. < link > Accessed 28 January 2022.
• "George Willard Coy." Wikipedia, revision of 28 October 2021. < link > Accessed 28 January 2022.
• Woodward, Walt. "The World's First Commercial Telephone Exchange & Connecticut's First Transcontinental Phone Call." Today in Connecticut History, published 28 January 2022. < link > Accessed 28 January 2022.