Samuel Finley Breese Morse

American inventor and painter (1791–1872)
Person human Q75698
Samuel Finley Breese Morse
Mathew Benjamin Brady · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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Samuel Finley Breese Morse

Summary

Samuel Finley Breese Morse is a human[1]. He was born in Charlestown[2]. He was born on April 27, 1791[3]. He passed away in Manhattan[4]. He died on April 2, 1872[5]. He worked as an inventor[6], physicist[7], sculptor[8], painter[9], and university teacher[10]. He ranks in the top 0.66% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (2,216 views/month, #6,611 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse was born in Charlestown[2].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse died in Manhattan[4].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse was born on April 27, 1791[3].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse died on April 2, 1872[5].
  • Burial took place at Green-Wood Cemetery[12].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse's father was Jedidiah Morse[13].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse's mother was Elizabeth Breese Morse[14].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse was married to Sarah Elizabeth Griswold[15].
  • A child of Samuel Finley Breese Morse was Leila Morse[16].
  • A child of Samuel Finley Breese Morse was Samuel Arthur Breese Morse, Jr.[17].
  • A child of Samuel Finley Breese Morse was Charles Walker Morse[18].
  • A child of Samuel Finley Breese Morse was Edward Lind Morse[19].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse held citizenship in United States[20].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse's professions included inventor[6].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse worked as a physicist[7].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse's professions included sculptor[8].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse worked as a painter[9].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse worked as a university teacher[10].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse worked as a photographer[21].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse was employed by New York University[22].
  • Among Samuel Finley Breese Morse's employers was New York University Tandon School of Engineering[23].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse's education included a stint at Yale College[24].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse was educated at Royal Academy of Arts[25].
  • A notable work attributed to Samuel Finley Breese Morse is Morse code[26].
  • Samuel Finley Breese Morse received the Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Born in Charlestown[2], Samuel Finley Breese Morse… he was born on April 27, 1791[3]. His father was Jedidiah Morse[13]. His mother was Elizabeth Breese Morse[14].

Education

Educated at Yale College[24], a college[28], in United States[29], founded in 1701[30] and Royal Academy of Arts[25], a national academy[31], in United Kingdom[32], founded in 1768[33], headquartered in City of Westminster[34].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include inventor[6], physicist[7], sculptor[8], painter[9], university teacher[10], and photographer[21]. Employers include New York University[22], a private university[35], in United States[36], founded in 1831[37], headquartered in New York City[38] and New York University Tandon School of Engineering[23], a university[39], in United States[40], founded in 1854[41].

Works and Contributions

A notable work attributed to Samuel Finley Breese Morse is Morse code[26]. Things named for him include Morse code[42], a character encoding[43], founded in 1837[44] and Morse[45], a town[46], in Canada[47].

Recognition

Awards received include Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic[27], a grade of an order[48], in Spain[49]; Knight Grand Officer of the Order of the Dannebrog[50], a grade of an order[51], in Denmark[52]; Knight of the Legion of Honour[53], a grade of an order[54], in France[55]; National Inventors Hall of Fame[56], a hall of fame[57], in United States[58], founded in 1973[59], headquartered in North Canton[60]; knight of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus[61], a grade of an order[62], in Duchy of Savoy[63]; and Knight of the Order of the Tower and Sword[64], a grade of an order[65], in Portugal[66].

Personal Life

Samuel Finley Breese Morse was married to Sarah Elizabeth Griswold[15]. Children include Leila Morse[16], 1851–1937[67], of United States[68], awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour[69]; Samuel Arthur Breese Morse, Jr.[17]; Charles Walker Morse[18]; and Edward Lind Morse[19], a painter[70], 1857–1923[71], of United States[72].

Death and Burial

Samuel Finley Breese Morse died on April 2, 1872[5]. He passed away in Manhattan[4]. The cause of death was pneumonia[73]. Burial took place at Green-Wood Cemetery[12].

Why It Matters

Samuel Finley Breese Morse ranks in the top 0.66% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (2,216 views/month, #6,611 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[74] He is known by 84 alternative names across languages and contexts.[75]

He is credited with the discovery of Morse code[76], a character encoding[77], founded in 1837[78]. Entities named for him include Morse code[42], a character encoding[43], founded in 1837[44] and Morse[45], a town[46], in Canada[47].

FAQs

Where was Samuel Finley Breese Morse born?

Samuel Finley Breese Morse's place of birth was Charlestown[2].

Where did Samuel Finley Breese Morse die?

Samuel Finley Breese Morse passed away in Manhattan[4].

Who were Samuel Finley Breese Morse's parents?

Samuel Finley Breese Morse's father was Jedidiah Morse[13]. Samuel Finley Breese Morse's mother was Elizabeth Breese Morse[14].

Who was Samuel Finley Breese Morse married to?

Samuel Finley Breese Morse's spouses include Sarah Elizabeth Griswold[15].

What did Samuel Finley Breese Morse do for work?

Samuel Finley Breese Morse worked as inventor[6], physicist[7], sculptor[8], painter[9], and university teacher[10].

Where did Samuel Finley Breese Morse go to school?

Samuel Finley Breese Morse was educated at Yale College[24] and Royal Academy of Arts[25].

What awards did Samuel Finley Breese Morse receive?

Honors received include Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic[27], Knight Grand Officer of the Order of the Dannebrog[50], Knight of the Legion of Honour[53], and National Inventors Hall of Fame[56].

What did Samuel Finley Breese Morse discover?

Samuel Finley Breese Morse is credited as discoverer of Morse code[76].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Morse, Samuel F(inley) B(reese). wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [13] . wikidata.org.
  4. [14] . wikidata.org.
  5. [15] . wikidata.org.
  6. [20] . wikidata.org.
  7. [16] . wikidata.org.
  8. [17] . wikidata.org.
  9. [18] . wikidata.org.
  10. [19] . wikidata.org.
  11. [24] . wikidata.org.
  12. [25] . wikidata.org.
  13. [6] . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [7] . wikidata.org.
  15. [8] . lgny.org. Retrieved . lgny.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  16. [9] . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . lgny.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  17. [10] . wikidata.org.
  18. [21] . Union List of Artist Names. Retrieved . lgny.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  19. [22] . wikidata.org.
  20. [23] . wikidata.org.
  21. [12] . Find a Grave. wikidata.org.
  22. [27] . wikidata.org.
  23. [50] . wikidata.org.
  24. [53] . wikidata.org.
  25. [56] . National Inventors Hall of Fame. wikidata.org.
  26. [61] . wikidata.org.
  27. [64] . wikidata.org.
  28. [73] . lemelson.mit.edu. lemelson.mit.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  29. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  30. [5] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  31. [26] . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [76] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [42] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [45] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [67] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [68] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [69] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [70] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [71] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [72] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [77] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [78] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  39. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  40. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [74] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [75] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Samuel Finley Breese Morse. Retrieved April 11, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/samuel-finley-breese-morse
MLA “Samuel Finley Breese Morse.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 11 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/samuel-finley-breese-morse.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_samuel-finley-breese-morse_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Samuel Finley Breese Morse}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/samuel-finley-breese-morse}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-11}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Samuel Finley Breese Morse — https://4ort.xyz/entity/samuel-finley-breese-morse (retrieved 2026-04-11)

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 20d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-21 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation inventor, physicist, sculptor +4
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32152|batch #32152]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (34)"
  2. 28d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-13 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Plaque image ['Samuel Morse plaque.jpg', 'Samuel Morse (5026522656).jpg', 'Flickr - USCapitol
    Cerl thesaurus id cnp00395901
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30851|batch #30851]]: match CERL IDs on the basis of GND (7)"
  3. 29d ago · Sj1mor · 2026-05-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Plaque image ['Samuel Morse plaque.jpg', 'Samuel Morse (5026522656).jpg', 'Flickr - USCapitol
    Start of work period +1820-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Has works in the collection Minneapolis Institute of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art +27
    Place of death Manhattan
    + 44 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P1801]]: Samuel Morse plaque.jpg"
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