Baron de Reuter

Reuter, Baron de (Paul Julius von Reuter; 1816–99), German-born founder of Reuters, the worldwide news agency. He pioneered the use of the newly invented telegraph to transmit news between major European cities and, later, to other continents via underseas cables. In 1849 he set up a carrier pigeon service between Aachen, Germany, and Brussels, Belgium. In 1851 he moved to London, where he opened a telegraph office near the Stock Exchange and reported on European financial news, expanding to other types of news events. Several major daily newspapers subscribed to his supplying service, and over the years he expanded it throughout Europe and the world.