ADT Company History

When the telegraph first became popular, many companies sprung up across the country. These each operated in their own district, and were know as "District Telegraph" companies. In 1874, 57 district telegraph companies were merged to create the American District Telegraph Company. This is the company that eventually became ADT.

In 1901, ADT became a subsidiary of Western Union. At this time, the messenger services portion of the business was separated from the signal operations portion of the business.

In 1909, AT&T acquired Western Union, and ADT, and as a result, ADT became part of ADT. As a result of this merger, AT&T directed ADT to focus entirely on its signal business. Following this new focus, ADT rapidly became a leader in the security field.

In 1969, ADT went public on the New York Stock Exchange.

In 1987, ADT was purchased by the Hawley Group, Ltd. Following the acquisition, the company was renamed to ADT Security Systems, Inc.

In 1998, ADT was acquired by Tyco International Ltd., who remains the owner of ADT today. Since the acquisition by Tyco, ADT has expanded its customer base to more than 6 million customers across the United States.

ADT provides security and monitoring services for residential, commercial, and government customers. Residential security solutions from ADT include fire alarms, carbon monoxide detection, burglar alarms, alarm monitoring, and remote operation products. ADT's commercial security products and services include fire alarms, carbon monoxide detection, intrusion detection, closed circuit television monitoring systems, electronic surveillance, and facility access control. These products are all available through independent resellers.