Cooper, Martin (1928-…), an American engineer, is known as the inventor of the handheld cellular telephone. Cooper worked as vice president and general manager of communications systems at the electronics manufacturer Motorola, Inc. (now called Motorola Solutions, Inc.). On April 3, 1973, he demonstrated a heavy, brick-sized device that could send telephone signals wirelessly. He then led a research team at Motorola to develop a more portable phone, called the DynaTAC mobile phone. Motorola introduced the phone in 1983. It became the first successful cellular phone in the United States.
Cooper was born in Chicago on Dec. 26, 1928. He attended the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he studied electrical engineering. He served in the United States Navy during the Korean War (1950-1953). After that, he returned to the institute to complete a master’s degree. He began working at Motorola in 1954.
The American science fiction television show “Star Trek” (1966-1969) served as one of Cooper’s inspirations for developing a mobile phone. The characters in the show speak with one another using tiny devices called “communicators.” Cooper left Motorola in 1983, just before the launch of the DynaTAC phone, and cofounded Cellular Business Systems. In 1986, he sold Cellular Business Systems and started another company, Dyna LLC, that became a holding company for other wireless ventures. One such venture was the cell phone technology company GreatCall. GreatCall eventually partnered with the electronics manufacturer Samsung to produce the Jitterbug, a streamlined cell phone designed for use by senior citizens. In 1992, Martin became cofounder and chief executive officer (CEO) of ArrayComm, a developer of software and hardware for cellular antenna systems.
Over the course of his career, Cooper has obtained 11 patents for advances in wireless communications. He has served on committees that work with the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Commerce. He has won many awards, including the Marconi Prize, awarded for advancements in communications.
