Cyrus West Field, son of Rev. David D. and Submit Dickinson Field, was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts on November 30, 1819. Around 1834, he moved to New York City, where he became a business apprentice in the offices of A. T. Stewart & Co., a dry goods merchant, then worked in his brother's paper-manufacturing business before establishing his own paper-manufacturing business in 1840. That same year, Field married Mary Bryan Stone; the couple would have seven children. Around 1842, with Joseph F. Stone, his brother-in-law, Field established Cyrus W. Field & Co., a very successful paper wholesaling firm. In 1854, Field became ivolved in telegraphy and with other investors formed the American Telegraph Company in 1855. In 1857, the company began laying the first trans-Atlantic telegraph line, between Ireland and Newfoundland. The cable was opened for use the following year but malfunctioned after only three weeks. Eight years later, Field laid a second trans-Atlantic cable, afterward repairing the original cable for use as a backup. From 1877 to 1880, Field served as president of the New York Elevated Railroad Company and also participated in the development of the Wabash Railroad. Through bad investments, Field lost much of his fortune in later life. Cyrus West Field died in Stockbridge, Massachusetts on July 12, 1892, and was buried in Stockbridge Cemetery.