Martin Cooper

Martin Cooper (English: Martin Cooper,) is an American engineer. He is a pioneer in the wireless communications industry, particularly in radio spectrum management, holding 11 patents in this field. On April 3, 1973, he made the first public phone call using a handheld portable cell phone at Motorola. Cooper reinvented the first handheld mobile phone (as distinct from a car phone) in 1973 and led a team to re-develop it and bring it to market in 1983. He is considered the "father of the (handheld) mobile phone" and is believed to be the first person in history to make a public call on a handheld mobile phone. Cooper is a co-founder of numerous communications companies with his wife and business partner Arlene Harris. He is the co-founder and current Chairman of Dyna LLC, located in Del Mar, California. Cooper also serves on committees supporting the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 2023, Cooper was elected president of the National Academy of Engineering for his leadership in the creation and deployment of handheld television.