| Notable Vail Kin
"THEODORE NEWTON VAIL, born July 16, 1845, in Carrolton county, Ohio, belongs to the Morris county family of Vails in New Jersey, descendants of John Vail, a Quaker preacher, who settled in New Jersey in 1710. The family has always been one of position and influence. Lewis Vail, civil engineer, grandfather of Theodore N. Vail, early went to Ohio and was a pioneer in the building of canals and highways. ... more at "Notable Vail Kin" |
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| The Vails of Speedwell - by Michael Ameigh
Theodore Vail gained valuable insights into the subtleties of information flow working for the Railway Mail Service (he eventually became General Superintendent). The whole process of distributing information in a timely way seemed to become an obsession. He worked to streamline the Service and bring new innovations that cut down on the time it took to deliver mail, not just from city to city, but to individual postal customers in isolated areas and urban communities. He spent hours reading railroad maps, looking for ways to reroute the mail in order to create efficiencies. He claimed to have been the one who developed the technique of bundling mail for individual towns and cities while a train was en route. ... more |
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Theodore Vail and the Bell System links: Biography at the Energy Page - Univ. Rochester (not entirely accurate) Telephone History Page - Theodore Vail's role in telephone history in his first stint as president 1878-1887: creation of long distance service. Telephone History - Theodore Vail's role in telephone history on his return to Bell in 1907, consolidating the telephone system. (Cato Institute) History - Vail, Monopoly, AT&T, book review The Theodore Vail Awards Page - An AT&T award |