Henry Bishop Horton

Henry Bishop Horton (September 1, 1819, in Winchester, Connecticut – December 3, 1885, in Ithaca, New York) was an American inventor, remembered chiefly for his inventions in automatic music players and clock-making.

His first patents for the instrument were granted in 1877 and 1878, and these were followed by a device for cutting the slots in the paper rolls used in the organette.

A company to manufacture this instrument was founded in 1879, where he served as its president until his retirement in 1883.

A year later, the factory moved to larger quarters, continuing to grow until 1874 when a change of management saw the capital increasing to $150,000.

This necessitated the construction of a large three-story brick building which burnt down in 1876, but was promptly rebuilt.