Teleregister Corporation

In 1948, Western Union established one of their divisions, Teleregister, as a separate company. Its communications expertise gave it a prominent position in the uniting of elementary data processing and data transmission. It produced display units for stock brokers, and, in 1952, created a seat management system for the American Airlines New York Office.

This “Reservisor” system was not the first in the world, but did introduce the American public to the use of computing and communication techniques. Teleregister, still a small company, lost many of the subsequent contracts for airline systems to larger firms such as IBM and Univac. They continued in business, mainly concentrating on supplying computing/communications equipment to the banking and brokerage firms, until absorbed in the Thompson Ramo Woolridge (TRW) group in 1965.