Christopher Latham Sholes Christopher Latham Sholes Christopher Latham Sholes (February 14, 1819 – February 17, 1890) was an American inventor who invented the QWERTY keyboard, and along with Samuel W. Soule, Carlos Glidden and John Pratt, has been contended as one of the inventors of the first typewriter in the United States. He was also a newspaper publisher and Wisconsin politician. Born in Mooresburg, in Montour County, Pennsylvania, Sholes moved to nearby Danville and worked there as an apprentice to a printer. After completing his apprenticeship, Sholes moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1837, and later to Southport, Wisconsin (present-day Kenosha). He became a
Latham of Bradwall of Surgeons (MRCS), and in 1839 joined the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries (LSA). On 3 November 1867, Latham delivered triplets to the wife of a brass dealer, which was reported in The Lancet. He died on 6 July 1907, a noted cricket fan. A public memorial statue to him is located outside the Ashfield Primary Care Centre in Sandbach (see photo below). He was affectionately known as "old Dr Latham". Charles was the third son of Richard and Sarah Latham, and the nephew of John Latham (1761–1843). He went to Manchester Hospital, where he was apprenticed for 5 years to