<Tr> <Th> Relatives </Th> <Td> Calvert DeForest (grandnephew) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Awards </Th> <Td> IEEE Medal of Honor (1922) Elliott Cresson Medal (1923) </Td> </Tr> <P> Lee de Forest (August 26, 1873--June 30, 1961) was an American inventor, self - described "Father of Radio", and a pioneer in the development of sound - on - film recording used for motion pictures . He had over 180 patents, but also a tumultuous career--he boasted that he made, then lost, four fortunes . He was also involved in several major patent lawsuits, spent a substantial part of his income on legal bills, and was even tried (and acquitted) for mail fraud . His most famous invention, in 1906, was the three - element "Audion" (triode) vacuum tube, the first practical amplification device . Although De Forest had only a limited understanding of how it worked, it was the foundation of the field of electronics, making possible radio broadcasting, long distance telephone lines, and talking motion pictures, among countless other applications . </P> <P> Lee de Forest was born in 1873 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the son of Anna Margaret (née Robbins) and Henry Swift DeForest . He was a direct descendant of Jessé de Forest, the leader of a group of Walloon Huguenots who fled Europe in the 17th Century due to religious persecution . </P>

Who should be called the father of radio