Tolbert Lanston 1844 - 1913

Tolbert Lanston (1844–1913) from Ohio in the USA invented the Monotype system of casting and composing metal type. The keyboard and caster were first patented in the USA in 1887 and led to the formation of The Lanston Monotype Machine Company in Washington DC in the USA with J. Maury Dove as the first President. The Lanston Monotype Corporation Limited in the UK was established in 1897. In the twenty-first century Monotype Limited is the main provider of digital fonts.