Leon Forrest Douglass, 1869-1940 [RG0878.AM]

HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID

RG0878.AM:  Leon Forrest Douglass, 1869-1940

Autobiography:  c.1940
Syracuse, Otoe County; Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska; California:  Inventor and manufacturer
Size:  183 pages

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Leon Forrest Douglass was born in Syracuse, Nebraska on March 12, 1869, the third of six children born to Seymour James Douglass and Mate Fuller Douglass. His earliest years were spent on homesteads in the Syracuse and Unadilla, Nebraska area. One of the grasshopper plagues of the 1870s caused the family to move to Lincoln, where Leon received his schooling and took up various jobs to help support the family. At age 11, he took a job as a telegraph messenger, and by age 13 was working as an operator at the first telephone exchange in Lincoln. This marked the beginning of his experience with electrical systems. He became interested in the development of early phonographs, and in 1889 sold his first patent for the invention of the first nickel-in-the-slot phonograph. Douglass was one of the organizers of the Victor Talking Machine Co., and it was he, at an earlier job with the Berliner Gramophone Co., who devised the advertising concept of a terrier listening to “His Master’s Voice,” which in 1901 became the trademark on all Victor products.

Douglass experimented in other technical areas in addition to sound. Among his many inventions were the zoom lens and various special effects devices for motion picture cameras, underwater cameras, and in 1916, the first patented process for natural color motion pictures, a process upon which later developments in Technicolor photography were based. Douglass was married to Victoria Adams on February 10, 1897, with whom he had six children. He died September 7, 1940, in San Francisco, California.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of a photocopy of the typescript autobiography, “Leon Forrest Douglass: His Story;” 183 p., with illustrations and photographs [photocopies only]. Of special interest for Nebraska and western history are the first two chapters, “Pioneer Ancestors” and “Boyhood,” in which Douglass recounts tales of the civil war and westward movement handed down by his father and grandfather, and his own experiences growing up on homesteads and in Lincoln, Nebraska. The rest of the manuscript chronicles his life, inventions, travels and fortunes through the beginning of the year 1940 [date based on internal evidence].

INVENTORY

Autobiography, “Leon Forrest Douglass: His Story;” 183 p. [photocopy only]


Subject headings:

Berliner Gramophone Company
Douglass, Leon Forrest, 1869-1940
Inventors and inventions
Lincoln (Nebraska) — History


Revised TMM         04-20-2007

You May Also Enjoy

Send a Valentine to your Valentine from Valentine: History of the Cachet Program

Send a Valentine to your Valentine from Valentine: History of the Cachet Program

Beaten and Battered: Conservation of a Field Drum, War of 1812

Beaten and Battered: Conservation of a Field Drum, War of 1812

Marker Monday: DeWitty – An African American Settlement in the Sandhills

Marker Monday: DeWitty – An African American Settlement in the Sandhills

About NSHS

The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded in 1878 by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed NSHS from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Director Daryl Bohac. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

Explore Nebraska

Discover the real places and people of our past at these NSHS sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of NSHS members.

NSHS Education

Learn more about the educational programs provided at our museums, sites, and online.

Education Digital Learning Resources

Find games, lists, and more to enhance your history education curriculum.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast!

Nebraska Collections

NSHS's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

NSHS's Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

NSHS Services

Digital Resources

Find all of our digital resources, files, videos, and more, all in one easy-to-search page!

Support The Historical Society

Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to the Nebraska State Historical Society help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of NSHS.

Volunteers are the heroes of NSHS. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.