@16af93@wetdry.world E.F. Sawyer In 1872 E.F. Sawyer became the first female telegraph operator. She was hired by the Burlington Railroad in Montgomery, Illinois. Telegraph operators like Sawyer held important positions transmitting information and helping to prevent train collisions. E.F. Sawyer paved the way for other women in communications. The following year, Union Pacific hired two more women to operate telegraphs in Kansas City. The first female telephone switchboard operator, Emma Nutt (opens in new window), followed close behind in 1878.