Automatic Electric Telephones

Automatic Electric was founded as Strowger Automatic Telephone Exchange Co. by Kansas City resident Almon Strowger, who invented the first automatic (dial) telephone switch in 1889. For decades AE was a leading supplier of telephone equipment to independent (non-Bell) telephone companies across the U.S. Many vintage Automatic Electric telephone models have a small sticker on the bottom which reads 'Monophone'.