George Robert Vincent
Encyclopedia
George Robert Vincent (July 17, 1898 - November 13, 1985) was a pioneer in the field of sound recording and archiving.
In 1912, he brought a wax cylinder recording device, which he had borrowed from his friend Charles Edison
, to the home of former President
Teddy Roosevelt, and convinced Roosevelt to speak into it. This began his private collection of voice recordings of notable individuals and witnesses to history.
In 1922, after graduating from Yale
, he joined Edison Laboratories
. and worked in the restoration and preservation of antique recordings.
During the Second World War, Vincent helped establish the Armed Forces Radio Service; in 1943, his intervention in the musicians' strike led to the creation of the V-Disc
, and he was subsequently awarded the Legion of Merit
for his contributions to troop morale. After the war, he served as Sound Recording Officer at the Nuremberg Trials
.
In 1962, he donated his collection of over 8,000 voice recordings to the Libraries of Michigan State University
; it became the basis of the G. Robert Vincent Voice Library, which has over 50,000 items. Vincent was named assistant to the Director of the Libraries of MSU and curator
of the Voice Library, a position he retained until retiring in 1973.
In 1912, he brought a wax cylinder recording device, which he had borrowed from his friend Charles Edison
Charles Edison
Charles Edison was son of Thomas Edison to Mina, businessman, Assistant and then United States Secretary of the Navy, and served as the 42nd Governor of New Jersey.-Biography:...
, to the home of former President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Teddy Roosevelt, and convinced Roosevelt to speak into it. This began his private collection of voice recordings of notable individuals and witnesses to history.
In 1922, after graduating from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, he joined Edison Laboratories
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
. and worked in the restoration and preservation of antique recordings.
During the Second World War, Vincent helped establish the Armed Forces Radio Service; in 1943, his intervention in the musicians' strike led to the creation of the V-Disc
V-Disc
V-Disc was a morale-boosting initiative involving the production of several series of recordings during the World War II era by special arrangement between the United States government and various private U.S. record companies. The records were produced for the use of United States military...
, and he was subsequently awarded the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
for his contributions to troop morale. After the war, he served as Sound Recording Officer at the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
.
In 1962, he donated his collection of over 8,000 voice recordings to the Libraries of Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
; it became the basis of the G. Robert Vincent Voice Library, which has over 50,000 items. Vincent was named assistant to the Director of the Libraries of MSU and curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of the Voice Library, a position he retained until retiring in 1973.