1902-1983

French inventor who, along with engineer Louis Moyroud, developed the first practical, high-speed phototypesetting machine. Higonnet began his engineering education in France, then traveled to the United States to complete his studies at several American schools, including Harvard University. Higonnet worked as an engineer with Matériel Téléphonique, a French subsidiary of ITT, from 1924 to 1948. In 1946 he teamed up with Moyroud to develop the Lumitype (also known as the Photon), the first phototypesetting machine, which debuted in the United States in 1948.