What Is Martin Cooper's Net Worth?
Martin "Marty" Cooper, a pioneering American inventor, commands a net worth of $600 million. Celebrated as the "Father of the Handheld Cellular Phone," Cooper's legacy was cemented when he developed the first cellular portable handheld police radio system in 1967 and later the first portable cellular phone for Motorola. On April 3, 1973, Martin made history by making the first public cell phone call, reaching out to Joel S. Engel of AT&T.
Holding eleven patents, Martin is a trailblazer in radio spectrum management. Along with his wife, Arlene Harris, he co-founded Dyna LLC in 1986, a company known for fostering innovative technology solutions that benefit society. Both are members of the Wireless Hall of Fame and the Consumer Technology Hall of Fame. In 2021, Cooper shared his insights in the book "Cutting the Cord: The Cell Phone Has Transformed Humanity."
Early Life
Born on December 26, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois, Martin Cooper is the son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants Arthur and Mary. He graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in 1950, and subsequently joined the U.S. Naval Reserves as a submarine officer during the Korean War. Upon his return, he earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from IIT in 1957. Martin received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater in 2004, and in 2021, IIT hosted a virtual celebration to honor him as the "cell phone creator, Life Trustee, and friend."
Career
Starting his career at Teletype Corporation in Chicago, Cooper joined Motorola in Schaumburg, Illinois, as a senior development engineer in 1954. In 1967, he developed the first handheld police radio for the Chicago Police Department. As head of the communications systems division, Martin conceived the first portable cellular phone. Inspired by Dick Tracy's wrist radio, he wanted a device representing an individual. Motorola invested $100 million in this concept, and within 90 days, Cooper's team designed and assembled the DynaTAC 8000x in 1973.
From 1973 to 1993, the initial design was refined, resulting in a product half the original weight. The DynaTAC graced the cover of "Popular Science" in July 1973. During his 29 years at Motorola, Martin led teams that developed trunked mobile radio, liquid crystal displays, oscillators, and piezo-electric components, attaining positions such as Corporate Director of Research and Development and Vice-President.
In 1986, Martin and Arlene Harris founded Dyna LLC to house ventures like Cellular Pay Phone, Inc., and SOS Wireless Communications. One of its companies, GreatCall, Inc., was sold to GTCR in 2017 and later to Best Buy for $800 million. Martin co-founded Arraycomm in 1992, known for its smart antenna technology, serving as CEO until 2002. He also served on the board of Energous, a wireless charging tech company, from 2015 to 2019, and participated in advisory committees such as the Department of Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee and the FCC Technological Advisory Council. Martin formulated Cooper's Law, stating that radio frequency spectrum capacity doubles every 30 months.
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Personal Life
In 1991, Cooper married Arlene Harris, who has deep roots in the wireless business through her family's company, Industrial Communications Systems, Inc. According to Martin's official website, he has two children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Awards and Honors
Martin's numerous accolades include the IEEE Centennial Medal (1984), the Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award (1995), and the Radio Club of America Fred Link Award (1996). A member of the "RCR Wireless News" Hall of Fame since 2000, he was celebrated as one of "Red Herring" magazine's Top Ten Entrepreneurs of the year. His awards include the American Computer Museum's George Stibitz Computer and Communications Pioneer Award and the Wireless Systems Design Industry Leader Award in 2002, CITA Emerging Technologies Award (2006), and the Global Spec Great Moments Engineering Award (2007).
Further honors include being named a Top U.S. Wireless Innovator by the Wireless History Foundation (2008) and receiving the CE Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame Award. In 2009, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award, followed by the Radio Club of America Lifetime Achievement Award (2010), Webby Awards Lifetime Achievement Award (2011), Washington Society of Engineers' Washington Award (2012), and the National Academy of Engineering's Charles Stark Draper Prize (2013). He also earned the Marconi Prize (2013) and was nominated for the Mikhail Gorbachev: The Man Who Changed the World Award in 2011, along with receiving an honorary doctorate from Hasselt University in 2013.
