Field, Cyrus West (1819-1892), was an American financier who promoted the first telegraph cable across the Atlantic (see Cable). The first fully successful cable was laid in 1866, after four previous attempts. The first cable, laid in 1857, broke 360 miles (579 kilometers) from shore. An attempt in June 1858 also failed. Field promoted a successful effort to lay a cable between Ireland and Newfoundland in August 1858. Technical carelessness ruined the cable’s insulation, and it failed four weeks later. In 1865, Field attempted to lay a new cable. The cable broke when the project was almost done. The project succeeded in 1866, with the laying of a new cable and the repair of the old.
Field later promoted the New York elevated railroad. He also wanted to lay a cable across the Pacific. Field was born on Nov. 30, 1819, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He made his fortune initially as a paper merchant. He died on July 12, 1892. He had three well-known brothers. David Dudley Field, Jr., a lawyer, won recognition for reforming legal procedure. Stephen Johnson Field served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Henry Martyn Field was a clergyman and historian.
