James C. Marsters James Carlyle Marsters ( April 5 , 1924 -- July 28 , 2009 ) was a deaf orthodontist in Pasadena , California who in 1964 helped invent the first teletypewriter device capable of being used with telephone lines .
James C. Marsters James Carlyle Marsters ( April 5 , 1924 -- July 28 , 2009 ) was a deaf American orthodontist . In 1964 , he helped invent the first teletypewriter device that could be used with telephone lines .